A Slaves Love
by Cognoscente
Summary: In a world where humans are slaves to demons, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her and heals her wounds. But can he mend her broken heart too? Inu/Kag, Sango/Miroku
1. Prologue

**.:A Slaves Love:.**  
_By: Kagura-hime_

_Summery_: In a world where humans are slaves to youkai, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her, and heals her wounds. But can he mend he broken heart too? I/K, Miroku/Sango, Sess/OC

_Disclaimer_: Nope, don't own a thing.

_Notes_: I edited, added, and explained better why the demons were slaves to humans. Have fun.

**:A Slaves Love:**  
_.:Prologue:._

A little six-year-old girl stood sobbing before her new master. She was standing in a small dark room that the man before her had just led her to shortly after she arrived here. It had a small cot in the left corner, with the appropriate clothing that slaves wore to announce their low status splayed carelessly across it. That was all that was in the room besides a small window on the right wall that had bars going across it.

The man in the room, was about six foot, give or take, and had cold, dark eyes that glinted blood red when the miniscule amount of light hit them just right. His long, wavy, unbound locks were blacker than midnight on a moonless night. His features were dark and handsome, and looked as though they were chiseled out of ice.

The deathly pale and frail girl was scared and confused. She had absolutely no idea what was happening to her. Her mommy was gone, as was her small baby brother, and her father had left before her brother was even born. She was alone. And she sobbed harder.

"Silence! Girl, stop your pathetic brawling, and listen to me. I, Naraku, am your new master, and you will treat me as such. You will call me master, unless instructed otherwise. You will obey me, and _only_ me, unless I give you specific orders. Do you understand?" The man now identified as Naraku asked.

The girl peaked out from behind two small hands that covered her angelic face. She looked at him with questioning eyes rimmed with tears, as if asking if this were real life, or just a horrible nightmare.

Naraku smirked. "Hmm, it seems you need your first lesson in being a slave to someone as powerful, and fearful, as myself. _Always_. _Answe_r. _Your_. _Master_. _When_. _He_. _Speaks_. _To_. _You._" He spoke slowly and drawn out to imprint it in her memory forever.

A malicious glint entered his eyes, as he approached the girl, leisurely, as if calculating what move to make next. The girl looked around her wildly, trying to find an escape from this intimidating creature of the night before her.

Then he grabbed her, and beat her viciously like a starving animal attacking its much-coveted prey. Like an animal that hasn't eaten in weeks, and was merciless to anything it considered food.

You could hear the ear splitting cracks of fragile bones breaking. The heart wrenching screams of the poor girl that had fallen victim to this beast's savage nature. If you looked at her now, you wouldn't be able to recognize her though the rapidly swelling bruises and welts. It was quite clear to anyone staying in Naraku's mansion what he was doing. Several of the servants just picked up the pace of their work, and tried to block out the sounds, for they were devastating to even the most hardened of ears. It is how he initiated most of them as well, but they had grown used to it over these many long years.

Everyone knew there was nothing they could do to stop him. He overpowered them, both physically and legally. The law stated that since he was her master, he could do whatever he pleased with her. Kill her if he fancied. And the government wouldn't bat an eye. He'd actually probably be given a medal, for ridding the earth of human scum. Because you see, in this world, demons rule supreme, and humans were flecks of dirt beneath their feet. Humans meant next to nothing-if not nothing at all. They had no rights, and basically no life, with absolutely _nothing_ to live for, except to serve their demon masters. The cruel demons had turned the tables and enslaved humans after being the slaves for centuries. The revolution may have been a few hundred years ago, but all older youkai remember it very clearly. Some even fought in it. They lost sons and fathers just as the humans did in their petty wars for shits and giggles back in the day. It was just as bloody and gory as any ten battles fought between mortals. Demons were and still are much stronger and faster than humans. How they _allowed_ themselves to ever be enslaved is still a mystery to most, except to ex-slaves, who know how powerful and abundant miko priestesses were.

These priestesses had the power to control the demons. They could purify them in an instant, and when humans had an abundance of them, the demons were powerless to stop the slavery. Then for a reason no one is quite sure of, the priestess population diminished and eventually became a rarity. Some say it was Fate. Others say Karma. But whatever the reason, it was kept quiet for as long as possible. One infantile demon (compared to the rest who were centuries older) figured it out though, and quietly managed to get all other slaves in his household to ready to rebel, which they did after long hours of planning and intrigue. When news spread of the success, others followed suit, until entire human armies were dispatched to control them. These armies were easily taken care of, and they eventually stopped coming. Humans bowed down to demons without the protection of their priestesses, and placed their short lives in the demon's clawed hands. The leader of the demons, the young dog-demon who had started it all, decided that it was only fair and just to show the weak humans the same courtesy shown to his kind.

Now don't think that the humans had treated demons, say, humanely for lack of a better word. They may not have enslaved the demons for long in demon time, but they had treated them just as horrific, if not even worse, and didn't spend the meager penny for a thought on it. They deserved everything they got. Maybe their children didn't, for they were innocent of any crime, but the demons had turned into bloodthirsty beings, feeding off the adrenaline rushes caused by the delightful tickle of human fear in their sensitive noses. They decided to keep this new twist of fate for the same amount of time the humans had kept them. It was only fair to them of course.

And so for hundreds of years, demons dominated all other species. The debt to them has been long since paid, and the wounds at least thrice healed over, but the hatred still runs deep. The fear of freedom and equality is too much for the demons to handle, and they keep humans locked away to serve their every sadistic want and desire. Humans that have been told this tale, passed down from their forefathers, are only now beginning to see the horrible mistake their ancestors made so many eons ago.

As they say, revenge is a bitch.

Few demons treat their slaves with respect, and those who do are very hard to come by. They can't let it be known openly; otherwise they'll be killed on site. They have to live in the utmost secrecy, risking everything, paying the ultimate price of death if their secret becomes known.

Slave masters usually take their anger out on a slave by beating them, starving them, or just flat out killing them. This is the life that that little six-year-old girl named Kagome Higurashi was destined to lead, exactly like the rest of her race, for the next ten years.

**Ja!**


	2. A Hurt Human and A Confused Hanyou

**.:A Slaves Love:.  
**By: Kagura-hime

_Summery_: In a world where humans are slaves to youkai, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her, and heals her wounds. But can he mend he broken heart too? I/K, Miroku/Sango, Sess/OC

_Disclaimer_: Nope, don't own them, because if I did, I'd be living in Tokyo, making millions of bucks. My bank account isn't exactly what I'd call impressive, so I guess that's not me.

_Notes_: I edited yet again. Enjoy is all I have left to say.

_Recommended fics_: White Dogs: Perversity by _Silverquick_, and School Daze by _Clara_

**:A Slaves Love:  
**_.:Chapter 1: A Hurt Human, and a Confused Hanyou:._

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut tightly as the next blow came. She flinched and stifled a scream as she felt another rib break. So many of her old wounds and scars, re-injured and reopened. So many new wounds, broken and bleeding.

'_God, what have I done _this_ time? This is almost as bad as the first time he beat me, all those years ago,_' She thought between the jolts of pain shooting from the impact point of his hard fist to behind her eyes; she was literally blinded by agony.

One lesson that she had learned the hard way was that if you don't make any noise, and annoy the son of a bitch more, the beating wasn't as bad. But there were times when that didn't work. No…it was just the opposite. Because of his sadistic nature, he wouldn't stop until he heard you scream in agony, and writhed in pain beneath him, where he thought you belonged in all your filth-ridden glory.

Amid his crushing blows, Kagome tried to figure out what she had done to set his already dangerously short fuse into hyper-drive. It started when she came into his study after he called for her. Papers where strewn everywhere, and the distinct smell of alcohol was detectable. _'Something involving business happened and he got drunk, his _darling_ little wench dumped him again and he got drunk, or he just got drunk for the hell of it and wanted to have a little "fun." Sadistic bastard.'_ These were the only conclusions Kagome could come up with as to why he just started beating her out of the blue with no provocation for once.

Almost as if he had read her hopeful thoughts that he would drop dead on the spot, Naraku put a little extra power into his latest addition to her already extensive collection of injuries. The punch just happened to be to her head, making unwanted memories of her previous beatings flash before her eyes before she completely blacked out.

* * *

A groan shattered the silence of the dark alley like a shot in the dark. Kagome felt sick from the throbbing coming from her head; it felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on her from a ten-story building, and she had been far below sea level.

As she slowly returned to her senses and recovered slightly from the blanket of darkness that fogged her battered mind, she started moving a tad bit. A sharp pain of protest sounded from the wounds all over her body, making her cry out in shock and pain. Her eyes snapped open as the excruciating pain only increased.

"Shh…don't move. You have some pretty bad injuries. I can't take you to a youkai hospital; they won't do a damn thing for you. And the pathetic human hospitals wouldn't do any better than I could, so I guess I'll have to take you home with me. Is that ok with you? One grunt for yes, two for no," a very gentle, very male voice asked.

'_W-w- He's asking me like an _equal_?! What is he playing at?'_ Kagome thought in shock as she grunted once. She may not know him- and even though he seemed like a genuinely certified cart-me-off-to-the-funny-farm loony-bin to her, he was willing to help, and she would do just about anything to get rid of the pain. Even sell her soul to the devil. _'Oh wait, I forgot, that was already done for me when that jerk-off bastard Naraku bought me,'_ she spitefully thought, malice brimming in her heart. Images of all the delightfully slow and painful things she would do to him, if she were only given a chance, played ruthlessly in her mind. She would have smirked except she didn't want any more pain from moving. The wicked thoughts that wouod have horrified nuns almost blocked out the sound of the wonderfully insane voice from earlier.

"Ok...but I don't know how I'll be able to get you into my car without increasing the pain…" the mysterious boy said almost to himself.

"J-j-just do i-it," Kagome managed to choke out though her swollen and cracked lips. _'Damn, that sounded just _peachy_ Kagome,'_ she thought sarcastically. She hadn't realized how hard it would be to speak.

The boy seemed shocked that she had spoken, and flinched when a spasm of pain flashed across her pale features. _'Very pretty features,'_ he thought to himself. _'NO. This girl looks just like _her_that's__ why she's pretty. Nothing else. Jesus…right now I need to concentrate on helping her,'_ he mentally kicked himself. Multiple times actually for effect.

"Are you sure?"

She grunted once again, and the mystery man gently picked her up, like she was a priceless porcelain doll that could break at any moment.

Kagome felt shock waves of pain roll over her. The only reason she didn't cry out was because of the years of practice she had. But something must have shown on her face, because the boy shot her a few worried looks. She tried to reassure him with a crooked smile that made his heartstrings twist in anger and sorrow.

'_I will protect this girl, and help her get revenge on the sorry bastard that did this to her. I'll make sure that the asshole never sees the light of day again, and knows the same pain that he put her though and more. I swear it, if it's the last thing I do!'_ he resolved. He picked up his pace, a determined look in his eyes.

Now that Kagome was more aware of her surroundings, she realized that she was in Kabukichō, the red-light district of Shinjuku, Tokyo, where the infamous yakuza and Triad are found. _'Man, he must really want to get rid of me! He dropped me off in the worst part of the city, to be killed by gangs. Asshole.'_ She thought as she remembered one of the countless threats he made that stood out the most in her mind.

**::Flashback::**

A young looking Kagome cringed under the look her master gave her. It was a cold calculating stare that she didn't like at all. It meant something bad was going to happen.

"That was good china you just broke you clumsy bitch. If you can't learn how to handle _my_ things, then I'll just have to throw you out on the street and let the yakuza kill you. You won't realize until it's too late how _good_ you have it here. _Do_ you understand?" he asked with venom in his deadly calm voice.

"Yes Master, I'm very sorry," Kagome stated while bowing low. She knew what was about to come, and braced herself for it.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood today wench, or else I'd have to teach you a lesson. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind."

"Thank you very much, Master"

Kagome was astounded to say the least. She had expected a light beating at_ least_. But she didn't question it as she bowed low and quickly hurried away as another slave cleaned up the mess of broken glass and food that had originally held that bitch Kikyo's dinner. _'Hmm…he must have gotten some ass from her last night for him to be in such a "good mood,"' _she thought sourly, walking into the kitchen to prepare more food.

**::End Flashback::**

Now, after taking a not-so-refreshing stroll down the darker side of memory lane for sometime, Kagome just now noticed the boys' appearance as he eased her into the passenger seat of his black Lamborghini Murciélago. She let out a shocked gasp at what she saw.

'_T-This boy- he isn't human!' _

**Thanks to all my fans for sticking with me!**

**Ja!**


	3. My Hero, Is Such A Jerk!

**.:A Slaves Love:.  
**_By: Kagura-hime_

_Summery_: In a world where humans are slaves to youkai, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her and heals her wounds. But can he mend her broken heart too? I/K M/S, Sess/OC

_Disclaimer_: If I owned Inuyasha, Kikyo would be suffering painfully for all of eternity, Kagome would become a mute in the English version, and Sesshoumaru would be a nudist. Now let me ask you something….is any of that true now? There ya go.

_Notes_: Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha will somewhat get along, seeing as the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga aren't in the picture and they aren't fighting over the swords. Just to clear that up, so don't get the wrong idea they still don't like each other, but they also aren't trying to kill each other either.

Also, I've been going through and editing things slightly, and I added stuff in the Prologue to clear some things up about the history of everything.

_Recommended fics_: City of Tomorrows Memories by _Cappie_ and City by the Bay by _Ericedwin_

**:A Slaves Love:  
**_.:Chapter 2: My Hero…Is Such A Jerk!:._

**Last time -** Now, after taking a not-so-refreshing stroll down the darker side of memory lane for sometime, Kagome just now noticed the boys' appearance as he eased her into the passenger seat of his black Lamborghini Murciélago. She let out a shocked gasp at what she saw.

'_T-This boy- he isn't human!'_

**This time -** Kagome stared in shock as the boy plucked a blanket from under the seat and tucked it around her still form laying comfortably (well, as comfortable as you can get when in excruciating pain) in his passenger seat. She had figured him to be some runaway human slave to be helping her. But then again, with the astonishing level the youkais' senses rested at, a hidden rebel band wouldn't go too long unnoticed so it was a dumb idea to begin with.

She took in the swirling depths of his intense amber eyes, the glow of his silver-white hair, the sharp claws that he made sure didn't cut her further, the extra long canine teeth, also known as fangs. But most importantly, the thing that stood out and screamed "TOUCH ME!" were the two pure white puppy ears on atop his head that were twitching this way and that with each new sound that reached them. And true to what they screamed, Kagome had an irresistible urge to rub them between her fingers that would have been fulfilled- had she been able move her arms that is. She silently thanked the Gods for that small miracle. Who knows how he would have responded! _'Note to self: when you get to know him better, and are completely healed and able to run away, press that button and see what happens.'_ With that thought in mind, and the soft purr of the engine, Kagome thankfully fell into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

* * *

Kagome woke with a jolt as the car hit a particularly bad bump in the road. Yet, she awoke feeling oddly refreshed, probably because it was the first time in years she had gotten a decent sleep- albeit a short one, but a good one indeed. But it was only for a split second before her brain became reacquainted with her spinal cord and the pain returned in full force. She moaned and opened her blue-gray eyes, which were clouded with pain.

"Oh, so you're finally awake. I was wondering when Sleeping Beauty would awaken and grace me with her charm," came the voice of Kagome's knight in shining armor, except it was full of mocking. _'What happened to his sweet side? Did he finally realize what I am?'_

"Who are you? And where are we going?"

"I'm Inuyasha, and we're going to my place. Now why don't you go back to sleep, and not ask anymore questions like a good girl. I'm not in the mood to talk right now, got it?" _'No, I'm too pissed at whoev- no __**whatever**__, because there's no way this guy has a heart- did this to an innocent girl.'_

Kagome was, well, taken aback to say the least: her eye twitch attested to her growing irritation. What the hell was wrong with this guy?! One minute he's sweet as pie, the next he's Frosty the Snowman! Or Snow_dog_ if the ears were anything to go by. Kagome felt her temper rise, and all the years of practiced control over her actions were thrown out the window to fade away with the rapidly passing scenery. Before she even thought about it, words were just pouring out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! One minute you're sitting there being all sweet and caring, the next you're being a cocky jerk! I never asked you to save me idiot! I wish you _had_ just left me in that alley to die!"

Her words tore though Inuyasha's heart. It was last bit that hit him the hardest-it felt like the proverbial knife being thrust in his gut. _'Is her life so bad that she doesn't even want to live anymore? Well, duh, of course it is if she's in this bad of shape!' _he mentally kicked himself yet again.

"Feh," was all the response she got.

Kagome was starting to get extremely pissed, and tried to sit up straight to give him a piece of her mind, when her body violently protested that particular idea. Maybe it was a good thing, because she wasn't sure if she had enough to spare on the jackass driver right about now.

"Ow!" Kagome yelped and fell back down to her original position, when her back screamed a loud _crack_. It seemed that, miraculously, she had forgotten all the pain she was in because her anger blocked it out. Adrenaline was such a lovely little substance! But, as the creature of fate would have it, the pain was back again and she groaned. _'The gods must think I'm their personal jester or something, since they love getting kicks at my expense all the time. Damn them.'_

"Keh! Dumbass, how stupid _are_ you?"

"Go to hell," she managed to croak out though gritted teeth. _'Oh no! When he takes me back to Naraku, as I'm sure he will, he'll tell him my behavior, and I'm dead for sure! How could I have been so stupid as to lose control like that? Idiot, moron, dumbass, dipshit! Oh god! Now I have to apologize to him so maybe he'll forget it.' _Control had recovered from its free-fall and hitched a ride to get back to the speeding car, a little late, climbing back in the window it had fallen from, battered and bruised, but still in good working order.

'_Ok, correction: make that their_ favorite_ jester.'_ She suppressed a groan from the thought of it. She hated the notion, but it was that or her life, though the latter _did _sound convincing at the moment. But the thought that it would be slow and painful scratched it quickly enough. So, she sucked up her pride and fiery personality, tucked it safely away for another days' use, and…

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha-sama. That was wrong of me to say. Please forgive me," she said in a drone-like way which made her sound dead, quite a contrast from the fiery spirit she showed just a few moments ago.

And for the second time that day, Inuyasha was shocked, the figurative knife still in his gut twisting violently for reasons he had yet to figure out. '_First she's over there telling me off, and the next she's apologizing like a drone...hey wait a sec,'_ Inuyasha thought, the cogs working double-time, trying to crank out a reasonable explanation. It took a minute, but he eventually got there. '_She's a slave! She has to be since she's human! The only free humans are priestesses, and no demon, no matter how thick, would dare attack a miko. Why didn't I see it before? God, she must have done something _really_ bad for her master to have done this to her...or he's just the sick bastard I originally thought he was, and did it for his personal amusement.' _Inuyasha seethed at the thought, and it must have been noticeable, because the distinct scent of fear radiated from next to him.

"Don't worry wench, I'm not going to hurt you, I was just thinking about some...personal stuff," _'Yeah, like how I'm going to rip your master to pieces slowly and painfully. First I'll staple him to the wall. No wait; make that a spiked metal wall. Then, I'll rip out his vocal cords, slice open his stomach, use his organs as ammo for the slingshot _(said vocal cords) _and pelt him with them. He's got to be a demon, so he'll survive through most of it.'_ And so, he amused himself to the point where he wanted to laugh out loud with grotesque images of other torture methods he could use, each one more bloody and gory then the last.

"O-ok" was the shaky response, but he could tell that she wasn't completely convinced by the lingering scent of fear that still permeated the car's interior.

"We'll be at my place in about half an hour, until then, try and get some sleep. You need it right now," he said after a while in the same gentle voice she first heard. Some of the hope she had that he was indeed her prince in shining armor-which had been thoroughly dashed away by his recent change in attitude- returned. _'He's so…confusing…_' were her last conscious thoughts. She hadn't realized how exhausted she had been until she fell into another peaceful, nightmare-free sleep.

* * *

For the second time that day, Kagome was roused from her serene, pain free slumber, that she wasn't to keen on giving up without a fight, by someone picking her up.

"We're here," Inuyasha's rough voice cut though her sleep fogged mind like the flash of a lighthouse on the dark night sea.

As Kagome looked around, she realized that she was out in the country, far, far away from the smog-filled, densely overcrowded cities in which most people resided. _'Far away from Naraku'_ she mentally noted, who lived in a traditional style mansion from the feudal era on the outskirts of Tokyo. He was close to all the action that his business produced, but not so close that it disrupted his private life so that he couldn't think clearly though all the racket. And the fact that it looked like she was in the mountains that bordered the sea confirmed the fact that she was, indeed, nowhere near Naraku. She silently thanked all the holy deities the she could currently remember for that.

The large, four story Western style house that overlooked the sea was cut off from the true horrors of the real world by the mountains that formed a kind of jagged barrier around the house and grounds. It was quite a beautiful and captivating scene, especially since the blood red sun was sinking behind the house, taking its last hues of orange and pink, with it in its' breathtaking beauty.

Kagome was gently shifted to one arm as Inuyasha got out his keys to unlock the front door. Then, when he got in and shut the door behind him, he called out for someone.

"Sango! Hey Sango! C'mere, I need your help!"

A girl about Kagome's age came running out of a door yanking off an apron, wearing a pair of tight blue jeans and a tight red tee shirt underneath. From what Kagome could see before the door behind the girl named Sango closed, it was the kitchen. When Sango saw Kagome, she let out a small yelp of surprise. When she took in the state that Kagome's body was in, her eyes widened.

"Jesus Christ! What happened to her?"

"I'll explain later, right now we need to clean her wounds."

"Ok, let's take her to my room." Sango received a nod, and had to run to catch up to Inuyasha, seeing as how he had disappeared up the stairs on the right hand side of the house without a backward glance.

'_I'm almost positive that girl is human, so she _should _be a slave, but he treated her, well, decently for lack of a better word. Why would they take me to her room? Slave's rooms are usually old closets, or we're packed together in the smallest room with no possessions. Or if the master is rich, like Naraku, they have a slave quarters built, though the rooms are more like mini-cells than actual rooms. At least for the slaves. The guards get nice big, comfortable rooms with more types of technology than demons have claws,'_ Kagome silently pondered to herself. _'Why does he act as if he cares? What is it that makes him so different?'_ But Kagome's thoughts stopped short as Inuyasha patiently, or not-so-patiently was more the truth, waited by a door as Sango finished sprinting up the stairs to the third floor, and opened the obstruction for Inuyasha to walk though first.

'_Well, at least he respects privacy, and SOME people,'_ Kagome thought sardonically, but gasp when she saw the room.

It was large and spacious with a couple of large windows that overlooked the garden below. A queen size Western style bed rested in the center that had a pair of twin nightstands made of a light-colored oak on either side. A large, matching bureau stood on an angle in the right hand corner, and in the left, stood a big screen T.V. pointed towards the bed, that had a D.V.D. player hooked up to it along with several game consoles such as Gamecube, X-Box 360, and PS3. Against the left wall was a rack that held all the movies and games, and against the right stood a huge bookcase packed to capacity with books from all over the world. Between that and the bureau was a door Kagome presumed to be a closet, or even a bathroom knowing this place. Underneath one of the windows on the right side of the bed was a deep mahogany-brown desk with a matching chair that had a few papers scattered across it.

Inuyasha saw the look on her face and grinned. When Kagome finally noticed this she was being set down on the semi-firm bed, and she blushed when she realized just _what_ he was grinning at.

Sango pushed her way past Inuyasha and sat down next to Kagome.

"Heyya, I'm Sango. Would you mind if I checked out your wounds?" Kagome instantly liked this girl. She couldn't explain it; she just knew that they could become fast friends. Little did she know, Sango was thinking the same thing.

"O-ok. By the way, my name's Kagome," she said while trying to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace because she shifted a bit to get a better look at Sango.

Sango felt anger well up inside her at whoever would do this to someone. She wanted to hit something. Hard. _'If Miroku tries anything later, I'll pound him into the ground harder than ever before,'_ Sango thought, easing her anger enough to remember the healing methods she learned from her mother when she was a child.

Sango turned and glared at Inuyasha who was looking bewildered at what he did now. Finally he took the hint when Sango glanced at the door and back at him. He got up, took the chair from the desk, and went out into the hall and put the chair down. Then he disappeared down the stairs, never closing the door.

"Men," Sango muttered as she went to correct this. When she returned to the bed, she asked Kagome gently: "I'll have to take off your clothes to check you know. Are you sure your ok with that?"

"Yeah...Thanks for helping me Sango-sama," Kagome replied, remembering her position.

"Before I check anything, let me get one thing straight: I hate formalities. If my guess is correct, you are a slave-" Kagome gave a slight, barely noticeable nod and Sango continued. "But not in this house. In this house, you are a guest, so forget about being a slave, and act like a human, not a drone," she finished, while undoing the obi on Kagome's ripped and torn yakuta.

Kagome stared at her with her mouth hanging slightly open and Sango chuckled. She needed have read Kagome's mind to know what she was thinking, and answered the apparent question that Kagome had been wondering since she first saw the girl.

"Yes, I am human, and legally a slave, but this family doesn't believe in having slaves, so all the humans in this house are treated like equals."

Kagome's mouth formed a little 'O' confirming to Sango that the cables were still firmly connected and that the message had been received.

Sango gasped aloud when last of her ratty clothes fell away and she saw the extent of the damage Kagome sustained. "These are bad Kagome-chan. Really bad. You'd be lucky if you didn't have internal bleeding."

Kagome snorted slightly, before muttering under her breath, "Not like it hasn't happened before."

Sango stared open-mouthed at Kagome for a full minute before finally sputtering, "A-are you saying, that this has happened before? O-oh please say no Kagome-chan. Please tell me no." Sango looked close to tears as light bulb above her head flickered with the realization that it was nothing Kagome did to receive this.

Kagome would have laughed if it didn't hurt her chest so much to do so. "Just about everyday since I was six." There was a loathing in her voice that matched just about what Sango felt about her new friends' master.

Sango's anger visibly showed and now she _really_ needed to hit something. Kagome got a scared look on her face and started to try and squirm painfully away from her. Sango noticed this after hearing a faint hiss of pain, which came out sounding like a cross between a dying cat and 'ow', and instantly regretted it. _'This must be how her master acts before he beats her.'_

"Oh Kagome-chan, I'm sorry, I wasn't mad at you, it's the guy who did this I wan to pound. Please forgive me," Sango said apologetically while stroking her blood-matted hair.

Kagome chuckled and said, "Kusoyaro. Kusoyaro, Naraku. He's the guy you want then."

Sango faintly wondered how many times a person could be legally shocked in one day, because she must surely be reaching her limit. _'K-Kusoyaro, Naraku!? He-he's the one who- Jesus…how is this possible? God it's a miracle she's still alive, living with that beast for so long.'_

Sango snapped out of her daze and checked Kagome's wounds in silence, the latter fearing she had offended the only girl that had ever tried to befriend her.

* * *

Inuyasha swore quite obscenely as he burst into the kitchen. He looked around for a second, and when he apparently didn't find what he wanted, he sniffed the air and headed to the left-the hall that held the closets and bathrooms.

Before he had even walked five steps, he didn't need his demon senses to hear the loud slap that came from the general vicinity of the closet. An angry "Pervert!" followed almost instantly and Inuyasha was almost bowled over by a very pissed girl.

"Wench, watch where you're going!" he growled, then realized who it was.

"Hey, sorry mutt, but Miroku's being a perv again," she said in a false whiny voice, a hint of mischievousness in her eyes. Inuyasha dismissed the "mutt" part, being as he knew she was just kidding around and didn't actually mean it. Coming from her, he knew she used it as a term of endearment, odd as that sounds.

Inuyasha sighed. "Is he still conscious?"

"Is he ever?" she retorted with a grin.

Inuyasha sighed again and shook his head, knowing full well what was coming next as the girl opened her mouth.

"Yes," he said in exasperation. The girls' face nearly broke at the size of the impish smile spreading from ear to ear, and hurried back to the kitchen. Inuyasha had to wait but a moment for the girl to return, sporting a large jar and evil grin.

Before Inuyasha had time to blink, she had already disappeared around the corner. _'Damn she's fast.'_

Not wanting to miss the show, Inuyasha quickly walked the remaining steps down the corridor and took a left. It seemed that the girl had been waiting for him to appear by the way it was still silent.

"Hey, it's about time you got here 'Yash," a smile was tugging at her mouth as she silently teased him.

"Yeah, yeah, just get it over with," he growled and appeared uninterested, but inside he was laughing at his poor friend. Boy was _he_ going to get a wake up call!

"Time to wake up you hopeless lecher!" the girl practically sang, and dumped the continents all over the poor lecher known as Miroku.

"Jesus!" Miroku screamed as he tried to get all the small slices of pickles out of his hair and clothes.

Inuyasha and the nameless girl started cracking up at Miroku's misfortune at having one stubborn pickle refuse to come out of his pants, making him look like a monkey trying to remove the offending object.

When Miroku had finally regained his composure (and removed the pickle) he glared at Inuyasha, then his eyes softened a bit when they turned to the now crying/cackling girl.

"How could you do such a thing my lady? I _thought_ we were friends!" He asked, standing there dripping pickle juice all over the floor. "And you!" he added, glaring daggers at Inuyasha, "How could you let her? I thought I-" he was cut off by Inuyasha who had started talking over him.

"I was coming to get you both-" he sent a halfhearted glare in the girls' direction until she stopped chuckling, "-because I found a girl this morning-" this time he was interrupted by Miroku.

"So that's where you were this whole time! Did you have a good time, where did you take-" Miroku was suddenly hit upside the head and saw little pickle slices running around his head, and two big bumps where Inuyasha and the girl had hit him.

"He's been like this all day. For some reason he pulled out all the stops and gave 'depravity' a whole new meaning. Must be a full moon," the girl informed him and Inuyasha groaned. "Oh yeah, you were saying?" she added absently.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and continued. "The girl I found this morning, she was almost dead. If I'm correct, then her master beat her then left her to die. She's up with Sango now, who's checking her wounds," he finished, a rare look of seriousness etched into his features.

The girl looked sick, and her hand went unconsciously to her right cheek, where a barely visible scar running from her eye all the way down her cheek that proved of a rough past. Then anger took the place of the sorrow that had settled into her eyes.

"Who?"

"What?" Inuyasha had bent down to pick up the unconscious Miroku and was about to ask the girl to help carry him up the stairs.

"Who. Did. It." she repeated, anger was evident in every syllable.

"Um...I don't know. We didn't really talk about that," Inuyasha said slowly and somewhat truthfully. _'Actually, we were fighting almost the entire time.'_ He silently added.

"You mean you were being your cocky, arrogant self and insulting her. Correct?" The girls' anger was bubbling to the surface. An old anger that had never truly died. And now that spark just had some gasoline added to it, making it blaze to life as an inferno. This girl would definitely be one of the rebels Kagome thought of earlier if she could.

She knew Inuyasha far too well not to know when there was something he was hiding, and she could tell by his nervousness that he was hiding something.

"Feh, you assume to much wench, as usual." Inuyasha instantly regretted opening his big mouth when her anger reached its peak.

"You insensitive prick! You're such an asshole!" She kept screaming obscenities at him, and each was backed with a powerful punch to poor Inuyasha.

After keeping this up for several minutes, she stormed up to Sango's room leaving the stunned (and bruised) boy to deal with a quickly reviving lecher on his own.

* * *

Sango had just finished dressing Kagome's major wounds when a couple of loud crashes came from the first floor, accompanied by some irritated obscenities. Sango chuckled knowing full well the only other person in this house who would dare attempt that.

Kagome looked up questionably at Sango who just smiled and responded, "You'll see."

Sango, being a psychic and all, proved her statement was correct when someone knocked on the door a few minutes later.

Sango pulled a sheet up over Kagome's naked body, which was completely nude save for the splints and herbal concoctions dotting her broken figure. "Come in."

"Hey Sango, can I see you out in the hall a sec?" Miroku's tormenter from downstairs poked her head in the ajar door.

"Yeah sure. I'll be right back Kagome," the said girl currently nodding slightly.

As the girl opened the door enough for Sango to get though, she nodded in greeting to Kagome, who smiled back as best she could.

Once out in the hall, the girl closed the door behind Sango and immediately starting talking.

"How is she?"

"She'll live. There's no internal bleeding, or brain damage from what I can tell. Nothing that won't heal, though she could have died without help. She's got some serious damage all the same. She has seven ribs injured, four broken, one fractured wrist, with all her fingers out of place and damaged somehow, whether broken, dislocated, or just jammed. There's also a dislocated shoulder which I have to pop back in, I was waiting for the pain-reliever herbs to kick in first, a broken collar bone, both ankles are broken. She has some very deep gashes in her thighs, abdomen, arms, chest, and back from claws as best I can tell, that will scar somewhat no matter how I treat them, and as you saw to top it all off, some serious bruising, including a mild concussion I think. The guy that did this could have easily killed her with one blow, but held back for some reason. Probably so he could continue abusing her until her body finally gave out under the stress. I could also tell from most of the breaks and fractures that they had happened before and were just re-broken because they were fragile from not always healing right. Most of all I'm really glad her ribs didn't puncture her lungs; she'd be dead already so it's not an issue as long as she doesn't get beat again before she heals. She's very lucky to be alive."

Anger welled up inside the girl again but she forced it down and tried to concentrate on the subject at hand. "She won't be beat again if I have anything to say about it, I promise you that. Did she say who did it?"

Sango looked disturbed for a minute then finally answered. "Yes, she said it was Kusoyaro, Naraku." Sango bowed her head to hide her eyes.

"I know that name well." Sango now thanked the gods that she never told this girl of her full past or else she'd have blown her top knowing her hurt yet another person she cared about.

"From Kikyo?" Sango asked, though she already figured as much, and a growl was heard from the girl. _'She can do a damn good impression of Inuyasha for being human. I should mention her old master more often seeing as how she hates her so much. Get all the pent up frustration out. Only at the dojo though. I don't want her abusing the hell out of me._'

The hatred on the girls' face only increased as she recalled some distant memory from the past.

**::Flashback::**

The girl was standing beside her master Kikyo who was talking on the phone while lying on the back patio of the mansion she lived in, fanning her and getting her refills for her martini on the hot summer day. Her master then laughed shrilly at something the person at the other end of the line said and replied:

"You needn't worry, I'm tiring of him and his naïve innocence, but this is for you. Do you really think I'd give up this chance to help you, Naraku? I mean, I have him eating out of the palm of my hand! He'll tell me anything I want to know, when I want. I'll arrange for a private diner with him tonight so I can get the information out of him easily without his damned brother or any of his so called 'slaves' interfering. Is that suitable for you darling?"..."Good, then I'll call him right now, and get back to you with all the arrangements, so you can enjoy from afar." The miko chuckled at her stupid little comment. "Ok, I'll talk to you later then. Ja darling," and with that, she ended the call, and started browsing though her cell phone's contact list until the name she wanted came up. Ringing could soon be heard.

"You there, with the fan," she hadn't even bothered to learn her slaves' name. "Get me another martini-but this time a double with a twist."

"Yes, Kikyo-sama, as you wish," the servant bowed slightly, but when she was inside the house, and she checked that no one was around, she mocked her master and flipped her the bird behind her back. _'I wish I could find some poison to mix it with, but I guess she knows how much we all hate her and keeps them locked up in her room. Cleaning liquids are too obvious or she'd have died a long time ago. Stupid bitch, always ruining my fun. Damn her!'_ the girl thought as she poured the sixth martini that day.

Then she heard Kikyo put on a false, high-pitched voice as she chirped into her cell phone.

"Hello Inu-baby! How's my little darling doing?"

**::End Flashback::**

The girl pulled herself back to the present when she realized that Sango was talking again. She mentally chided herself for not paying attention as she shook the last of the images out of her head.

"Do you want to meet her?"

"Please." Sango nodded as she led the way into the room and hung back as the girl approached the bed.

"'Ello! My name's Aika, though, most call me Kesa. You can chose whichever, I answer to both, among various nicks as well," the girl now dubbed Kesa said with a smile. The girl had long, straight black hair down to her ass and short bangs that fell in a somewhat jagged line around her eyes. Her unbound hair that framed her delicate pale features was spilling over her broad shoulders as she looked down at Kagome. Her thin face wasn't marred by anything except a nearly invisible scar from her eye to her chin. It was easy to see even through her baggy black shirt and jeans that she was athletic and had a nicely toned body. She was an inch or so shy of six foot, and filled out in all the right places; it was hard to tell that she was only seventeen. When she lifted her shirt up a little to scratch her stomach Kagome could see the bottom of a chest binding. _'She must fight' _Kagome thought, _'for her to bind her chest like that.'_ She wore only one piece of jewelry, which was a crescent moon necklace.

"Hey wait a minute; you threaten Miroku all the time that he _has_ to call you Kesa!" Sango interrupted Kagome's observations by saying.

"Yeah, well, that's because he's a pervert. I have a rule that all lechers must call me Kesa."

"Why, pray tell, though I'm not sure I want to know the answer with you..." Sango asked, dreading the answer.

Kesa chuckled. "You honestly think I know woman?!" And Sango nodded. "Whelp…I don't. If you find out let me know, because I've been wondering myself why I do that."

Sango just dropped her face in her hands and heaved a dramatic sigh. Kagome just started silently cracking up. _'These two are great! Kesa is funny, while Sango is down-to-earth. How they get along is beyond me, but maybe I'll be able to figure it out before I'm kicked out.'_

"I never got to introduce myself," Kagome started quite hoarsely. Whatever Sango gave her was making her throat hurt. "My name's Kagome, and if you don't mind me asking, why such a difference with the names?"

"No, not at all," Kesa responded. "Well, my former master whose blasphemous name shall not be spoken didn't think my birth name, Kesa, was good enough, so she changed it to Aika, which masters can do you know. Not that she ever remembered it or used it or anything, it was just one of her ridiculous whims. Though I hate to admit it, I kind of like the name, but everyone calls me Kesa anyway for some unknown reason. Except Miroku of course," Kesa snickered and Sango sighed again, her head still in her hands. "So if you wanted to call me Aika, I wouldn't care," she concluded.

"I think I'll call you Kesa too?" Kagome asked, the question evident in her voice. Kesa nodded and grinned as she heard someone rap on the door loudly, clearly impatient.

"So it starts," Kesa said grinning like the Cheshire cat.

**Yay for editing. Luckily my grammar has slightly improved with age. Hopefully, it reaches a high school level before college next year XD**

**Always-  
Kagura-hime**


	4. A Few More Suprises

**.:A Slaves Love:.  
**_By: Kagura-hime_

_Summery_: In a world where humans are slaves to youkai, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her and heals her wounds. But can he mend her broken heart too? I/K Miroku/Sango, Sess/OC

_Disclaimer_: Ok, the only thing that I can claim as my own, are: Kesa, this twisted plot, and the freaking pink DS I bought off my friends' girlfriend for 80 bucks. Really good deal by the way, even if it is pink…

_Notes_: Nothing really to say, except that this is a re-update.

_Recommended fics_: Easy as 1, 2, 3 by _Artemis Moon_

**:A Slaves Love:  
**_.:Chapter 3: A Few More Surprises:._

**Last time-**"So if you wanted to call me Aika, I. wouldn't care," she concluded.

"I think I'll call you Kesa too?" Kagome asked, the question evident in her voice. Kesa nodded and grinned as she heard someone rap on the door loudly, clearly impatient.

"So it starts," Kesa said grinning like the Cheshire cat.

**This time** - "Will somebody open this damn door already?!" A familiar voice could barely be heard over the abuse the poor door was now receiving.

"If you would stop beating the shit out of it for two seconds, I would," Kesa shouted back and the pounding ceased. A distinctive "bitch" could be heard, and then the sound of a slap.

"Hey! What was that for, asshole!?"

"Don't speak in such a way to the ladies, and you won't get hurt."

"Much," Kesa chimed in. "Oh, and about the 'bitch' comment, I have one thing to say to that: woof woof!"

At that, Sango had to bit her lip to keep from laughing, Miroku smiled, and Kagome chuckled while our dog-eared friend fumed.

"Why you..."

"Relax 'Yash, it has nothing to do with your heritage. I say that to everyone who calls me a bitch, that's all. Besides, I've been saying that since I was twelve, and I didn't even make it up!" Kesa said wisely, saving her ass from the long-winded rant that had reached Inuyasha's tongue.

"What exactly does that mean anyway?" Kagome asked while Sango let the boys in, Inuyasha rubbing the back of his head. Kesa repositioned herself, slowly but comfortably as not to disturb the patient, on the bed next to Kagome as she began and explanation.

"It means that I agree that, yes, I am a bitch." At Kagome's still confused look, she elaborated a bit. "A bitch is a female dog, right, so by saying 'woof woof' it means I'm acting like a dog, therefore agreeing and verifying that the statement is true. My friend back in Hokkaidō used to say it when I called _her_ a bitch. Though _why_ she started saying it, I have no idea...I always knew she was an oddball that one. A smart oddball though. The insane genius type, though the genius part never managed to break through the insanity..." Before Kagome even asked, Kesa sighed and answered her pending question.

"I'm not originally from around Kanazawa, which is the closest city by the way, but Hokkaidō." At Kagome's interested look, she grudgingly continued. "Well, ok fine. Once upon a time, I was a slave to a rich and powerful businessman who treated all his slaves with more respect than most. Just don't disobey or piss him off, that's not a good thing to do. Well, then, one day, for no known reason-well, not to me, a lowly slave, at least- his insanely successful technology business folded and he was left with next to nothing. I mean everything: his mansion, his VIP parking spot, his beloved country club membership, everything. Though I, and everybody else who knew him to any degree, believe he missed his slutty, German engineered bimbo of a secretary and her long lunch breaks the most. The whole thing hit him like a grand piano flung from Tokyo Tower. Actually, hurled off at mock speed better describes it." Kesa stopped to sigh and shake her head at the poor bastard who missed hot sex more than money and material possessions.

"Anyway, my second master comes around, offering to help him out by buying some slaves off of him for an enormous amount of money. The truth, I have no idea why. But personally, I think she set it up so that he would take the fall for petty revenge since he slept with her then dumped her for his secretary after cheating on her with said bimbo. It's the only explanation, but I still can't figure out why she suddenly sprouted a golden heart, and gave him some shred of dignity back. Lord knows it wasn't a gold heart that that pumped her oh-so-blue blood through her veins. It must have been a guilt trip, though I find that hard to believe. That woman killed her conscience long ago; she stuffed in a box, wrapped it in chains, gave it cement shoes, and sent it deep-sea exploring. It's long since gone and there's no trace of it left. She didn't suddenly have an epiphany either; she was a cold-hard bitch after that for the entirety of my stay. I wish the skank would rot in pieces." When Kesa noticed everyone's jaws playing footsies with the floor (or bed in Kagome's case) she cleared her throat and put on an innocent air, getting back on the right highway after taking the wrong exit. "Okay, getting back on topic, I was one of the _lucky_ ones picked, and taken back to her mansion in Tokyo. It's too bad. Maybe if she had kept that heart I wouldn't have tried to runaway so much. I met 'Yash though because of her, and he saved from the horrid fate of being a slave to that dumb hoe for long." For some reason, Inuyasha started growling around the 'hoe' part, but quickly lowered it to levels humans couldn't hear, and merely glared menacingly at an innocent wall because of the warning looks Sango and Miroku quickly shot him. Kesa seemed not to notice, but if she did she ignored it. "So there's basically my life story in a nutshell. Not very interesting is it?" She finished, and started grinning cockily, considering she couldn't be serious for more than three seconds without doing something drastic.

'_There's something that she left out. Something big. And the fact that Inuyasha started growling confirms it. I wonder what it could be. Maybe the same thing that happened to me happened to her. It must have been bad if she always tried to escape. It's ok though, considering we just met about twenty minutes ago. Maybe she'll eventually trust me enough to tell me. That is- if I'm here long enough.'_ Kagome thought, a shudder running down her back that no one noticed.

It was at about this time that Sango finally noticed that Miroku was dripping all over the floor, and narrowed her eyes at the small puddle at his feet.

"Miroku, what happened?" she asked carefully, knowing full well it had something to do with Kesa.

"My Lady, are you concerned for my welfare?" Miroku asked, a perverted grin in place.

"No, it's just that you stink, and you're dripping all over _my_ floor, which I just cleaned no less. Now _tell_ me." Sango responded smoothly.

Miroku, looking a bit deflated, replied "Well Sango, if you wish to know than I shall of course oblige you." He paused, a dramatic streak in him flaring up, and impressing no one. "Kesa poured a jar of pickles all over me to wake me up after SHE knocked me out."

"You deserved it. You were being a complete perv!" Kesa retorted.

'_Oh, this confirms that he must be the lecher she was talking about, though the way he talks already gave me a hint,'_ Kagome thought.

First, Sango's face was shocked, then red with suppressed angry.

"KESA! How could you? They were for dinner!" she was cut off by Kesa, who started whistling innocently, and sliding towards the nearest exit. Inuyasha and Miroku also shared this sentiment, and thought this was the best time to get out of the line of fire.

"You get back here Shinamori Kesa, I'm not done with you!" Sango screeched, which made Kesa stop in her tracks.

"Ouch, the full name, she's _really_ pissed at you," our brilliant dog-eared friend observed.

"What a brilliant deduction you made! With a mind like that, you've got to be the next Colombo," was the exasperated reply he got.

"Feh. Let's go Miroku; it's safer out in the hall. Less homicidal women."

Miroku nodded vigorously and followed Inuyasha, making sure to close the door behind him for once.

Before Sango could start ranting again, Kesa spoke and Kagome watched on with interest.

"Sango, I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist! You should have seen his face! One of the pickles got stuck in his pants, and he looked like a monkey trying to get it out," she then did a perfect imitation of Miroku, making laughter bubble up inside Sango who tried to repress it, and Kagome who started cracking up slightly, mindful of her injuries. When Sango looked ready to explode again, whether from laughter or anger we'll never know, Kesa quickly added on to her earlier statement. "Anyway, I'll make it up to you by going and getting more pickles, for the dinner _I_ was cooking to begin with. Is that ok with you?"

"The dinner _I_ was helping to make." Sango added, and eyed her warily for a second after her reply before smiling. "Why can't I ever stay mad at you?"

"Because I'm special! Oh, by the way, I've changed my mind: I'm going to cut the pickles out of the menu and do this _after_ dinner."

Sango narrowed her eyes and Kesa quickly added, "Because I need to pick out a movie for Kagome to watch so she has something to do, then I need to check on the already cooking dinner, and bring it up here, because I know we're going to eat with Kagome. _If_ it's ok with her that is," Kesa looked over at Kagome, who in turn smiled slightly, grateful for their company.

"So that concludes that I won't have time to do everything," Kesa quirked an eyebrow at Sango, who in turn gestured toward the movie racks and walked toward the door.

"I'm going to go see what the boys wanted. Take your time."

Kesa smiled and walked over to the movie racks and started rattling off various names.

* * *

Somewhere up on the fourth floor, a certain white haired youkai shook his head at all the racket going on below. It was just another normal day at the Tamakata house. One yelling at the other for some dumb statement or deed. Things and people smashing into walls and other hard or breakable objects. A certain lecher getting the life kicked out of him for saying or doing something perverted. _'You would truly believe that I'd be used to it by now,'_ he thought callously. It was always a little rowdy, but when that girl- Casey, or was it Kanna? He didn't know nor did he care at the moment- showed up two years-odd ago, forget it. All hell had broken loose, and any scrap of normalcy left had gone to hell in a hand basket. Fast. And it never peaked its all-to-welcome head up again, even to check and see how we were getting along without it. And not to mention that he had the absolute _pleasure_ of being her legal master whenever the inspectors finally gathered up the nerve to come check on them. Joy.

Sesshoumaru sighed as he took off his small designer reading glasses that no one in this house would catch him dead wearing. Though he was demon, and had no need for them, (they were just plain glass) he wore them to look "professional" for his job. He had just become so accustomed to wearing them that he even wore them when alone. And they looked damned good on him, if he did say so himself.

He started to rub his temples in a counter-clockwise motion to relieve the oncoming headache. When that failed, he decided to go get some of those lovely little aspirin that might help, if his system didn't reject them when he swallowed them that is.

As he made his way to the third floor, he heard one of the slaves- Sango he believed her name to be- telling his moronic, half-breed twit of a brother and that deviant friend of his about someone's injuries. And from what he heard of it, they were pretty damn serious.

'_Probably another run-away slave that my__** dear **__brother has a knack for "rescuing." He's an even bigger imbecile for always trying to play hero than I originally believed, and I thought that was damn near impossible,' _he thoughtgliding past them soundlessly, ignoring them as he always did, the act being reciprocated.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, a figure went streaking past him and straight into the kitchen. '_Hmm, speak of the devil. Literally.'_ He thought sourly and his headache now reached the category of a migraine. _'Damn,'_ he mentally cursed.

He continued to walk in the direction of the kitchen, except slower now- hoping to avoid the nuisance that had originally caused his minor irritation- now a full-fledged irritation at the mere thought of that stupid human wench. He growled suddenly and silently low in his chest.

He paused for a moment before opening the kitchen door. He really didn't feel like dealing with "it" right now, but his want for aspirin overpowered that thought in a split second and he shoved open the door with more force than necessary. '_That bitch be damned. This is _my_ house, and I will not tiptoe around because of _her_,'_ he thought to himself.

He spied her getting out the necessary ingredients to make dinner, while absently reaching for the radio, holding a pack of flour in one of her tiny hands.

"Don't you dare turn that bloody thing on," Sesshoumaru growled at Kesa just as her hand hit the button.

Kesa dropped the bag just as classical music softly filled the room and Sesshoumaru was taken aback. _'This imbecile listens to classical? I thought she'd turn on that god-awful metal crap she's renowned for. At least she has_ some _taste.'_

"Oh Sesshoumaru-sama! I didn't hear you come in." Then she bent down and retrieved the flour. "Luckily this didn't break. Could you imagine what the mess would be if it did?" she giggled softly, barely audible over the solo violin piece of Allegro, Ma Non Tanto.

'_What is she in such a good mood about? Could it possibly be because of that bitch my brother dragged in? What am I complaining about? I should just enjoy it while it lasts- she's not going to be docile and sweet for too long,'_ Sesshoumaru pondered.

Suddenly, a loud bang and incomprehensible screaming could be heard coming from the third floor. Kesa sighed while closing her eyes and shook her head. "Children," she muttered and set the flour on the table.

Sesshoumaru nearly snorted at the irony. If only she knew she did the same exact things, she wouldn't be caught dead acting so hypocritical when she wasn't the one causing the trouble…for once. But of course, he didn't. He had more self-control than that. And besides, he wanted to _keep_ her docile for once- his head would definitely applaud him for it if he did.

Suddenly she whirled around and Sesshoumaru thought she had returned to her old mischief-making habits again. But she surprised him yet again, almost making him think that this was some imposter, and not truly the ex-slave his brother dredged up from the streets of Tokyo.

"Did you need something Sesshoumaru-sama? I doubt you came down here for no reason. Can I help?" If Sesshoumaru wasn't the master at hiding his emotions, he would have stared at her second head, wondering if it could sing as well as dance. But he was, so of course, he didn't.

"No," he said coolly, almost dismissively. She blinked in shock and stared as he moved toward her and glared down at her while was in standing in front of her. Kesa had no idea what was going on. _'Has he gone mad? Is he going to kiss me, or something? Gah! This is _Sesshoumaru_ we're talking about. He wouldn't kiss me...would he?'_ Her mind trudged through these deliciously dirty gutters in several other directions, until she was pushed back down to the hard pavement, quite painfully and un-expectantly, by his deep voice rippling out of his pale throat and crashing into her eardrum.

"Are you going stand there and gawk all day, or are you going to get out of my way _voluntarily_?"

Kesa shook her head and stepped to the side silently. _'What was I thinking. Sesshoumaru wouldn't kiss _me_. I don't think he could. I _am_ only human after all. Way below his oh-so-high status. Besides- I don't think he'd let himself fall in love. Wait, why would I want him to fall for _me_?! Arg, I _don't_ like that cold-blooded, ignorant, self-absorbed, egotistical, pompous bastard anyway! Hmph!'_ And with that internal battle won, she nodded to herself as the door shut quietly behind the 200 solid pounds of dog-demon muscle that was the source of her distress.

* * *

Inuyasha ran his hands through his hair after Sango listed Kagome's injuries on her fingers. Miroku had a thoughtful expression on his handsome face, and several knots on the top of his head where Sango had hit him repeatedly for trying to grope her.

"It seems that she's handling this well. Perhaps...this has happened before?" he inquired.

"I wish it didn't, but it definitely has. She told me that it has happened to her almost everyday since she was six. Also, even if she hadn't told me, I still would have known because of the way the injuries are. Um…she said that her master, and one who beat her…was Kusoyaro Naraku," Sango said slowly.

Inuyasha's face twisted into an expression of fury at having been given yet another reason to hate that loathsome asshole. _'I was right. The son of a bitch that did this to her _is_ heartless.'_ He started growling first deep in his chest, then it became louder as it moved to his throat, blocking out the soft sounds of the Cowboy Bebop movie, Knocking On Heavens Door, playing in the room behind him.

"Inuyasha, please calm yourself. I know how much you despise Naraku, but you'll never be able to help Lady Kagome if you let your anger cloud your judgment," Miroku pleaded.

Inuyasha stopped growling almost instantly. A heavy silence settled over the three as the sound of Spike's gun shattered the mounting tension building among the only three in the hallway.

"Sango," Miroku started, while turning to look at said person. She nodded and he continued. "Would it be possible if we could meet her officially? As in actual introductions this time?" Sango nodded yet again, opened the door, and led the way.

Kagome looked over at the sound of entering footsteps and smiled shakily when she saw Sango and Inuyasha.

"Kagome, this is Miroku and Inuyasha, who you've obviously already met," Sango stated, while gesturing to the appropriate people.

"It's very nice to meet both of you. I'm Kagome, as I'm sure you already know by now," Kagome smiled slightly and had an amused tone to her soft, slightly hoarse voice.

Though she was already feeling quite tired and lethargic, uneasiness was added to the mix when suddenly Miroku walked over to her, and rested his hand on hers. Inuyasha must have known what he was about to do, and tried to get to him, looking ready to kill. Sango stopped him and whispered in his ear, "Let him. Once he does, we'll have a good reason to hurt him. Multiple times. Then we sic Kesa on him. You_ know_ what she'll do to him for bothering Kagome-chan when she's like this."

Inuyasha still didn't look happy, but he went along with it, while Sango rolled her shoulders, getting ready to add a few more informative chapters to the _The Idiot's Guide to __Kicking_ _Ass _book.

Meanwhile, Miroku put on his most charming lady-killing smile, and said smoothly and confidently, "I know we just met, and this is quite sudden for you, but I have something I would like to ask of you." At Kagome's puzzled face, he continued. "I would like for you to bear me a son. Now now Lady Kagome, don't give me that look, I don't mean right this second-it wouldn't be possible for you. But once your wounds heal, and you know me better, _then_ it will happen as soon as you are ready."

Kagome's eye started twitching, and she spoke quite clearly, "If I could move without putting myself in agony, and ruining Sango-chan's excellent splints, I would slap you so hard you'd be unconscious _until_ I was healed. Are we clear on that?"

"That's ok, because I wouldn't need to be awake until then anyway-" Miroku couldn't say anymore, seeing as how Inuyasha had him in a headlock. Even though he sat by and watched as Miroku made an ass of himself, he couldn't just let him harass Kagome when she obviously wasn't interested. Inuyasha felt relieved about that for some reason. '_Why do I care anyway? It's not like _I_ like her! I'm just angry because this girl is thankfully _living_ proof of just what a shithead Naraku really is. No, I couldn't like her...because there's no way she want me anyway, so what's the point of hoping she's different?'_

Inuyasha just narrowed his glowing amber eyes, dropped an unconscious-from-lack-of-air Miroku flat on his face, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The DVD player skipped on a scratch and kept playing the line _'If only'_ over and over until a shocked Sango finally walked over to the TV and cleared the screen.

**More minor editing. Woot.**

**Ja ne!**


	5. Things to Come

**.:A Slaves Love:.  
**_By: Kagura-hime_

_Summery_: In a world where humans are slaves to youkai, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her and heals her wounds. But can he mend her broken heart too? I/K Miroku/Sango, Sess/OC

_Disclaimer_: Hey, I didn't create Inuyasha and the gang. I'm not even smart enough to do math right let alone create a kickass anime. So, don't be pointing fingers at me; hail Rumiko Takahashi for that one.

_Notes_: Just more slight editing, nothing special. The medical op was chaged a little if you want to check that out.

**WARNING**: This chapter contains a medical operation that should NOT be attempted by anyone under any circumstance, unless you are fully licensed in the practice of medicine, and have the full knowledge of what you are doing.

_Recommended fics_: Falling Stars by _Celia_, Where Did You Go by _Skittles._

**:A Slaves Love:  
**_.:Chapter 4: Things To Come:._

**Last time** - "That's ok, because I wouldn't need to be awake until then anyway-" Miroku couldn't say anymore, seeing as how Inuyasha had him in a headlock. Even though he sat by and watched as Miroku made an ass of himself, he couldn't just let him harass Kagome when she obviously wasn't interested. Inuyasha felt relieved about that for some reason. '_Why do I care anyway? It's not like _I_ like her! I'm just angry because this girl is thankfully _living_ proof of just what a shithead Naraku really is. No, I couldn't like her...because there's no way she want me anyway, so what's the point of hoping she's different?'_

Inuyasha just narrowed his glowing amber eyes, dropped an unconscious-from-lack-of-air Miroku flat on his face, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The DVD player skipped on a scratch and kept playing the line _'If only'_ over and over until a shocked Sango finally walked over to the TV and cleared the screen.

**This time** - _'Damn, what the hell was that all about?'_ Sango pinched her eyebrows in confusion.

"Is he :cough: always like that?" Kagome asked weakly.

"No...there's something wrong," Sango whispered slowly. "And why the cough all of a sudden?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"I dunno. But the herbs you gave me :cough: are really helping with the pain Sango-chan. I feel better, but my throat is a little numb. :cough cough: Are they supposed to knock me out? Because it's everything I can do to keep from dropping off."

"Really? They aren't supposed to put you to sleep…" Sango walked over to Kagomes' side and placed her hand on her forehead to see if her temperature had risen. "Your temp hasn't changed, but since the herbs are kicking in, I'll pop your shoulder back in real fast since I know it's uncomfortable."

"Thanks," Kagome smiled faintly.

Sango gently took Kagomes' arm in her hands, careful not to jostle her wrist, and quickly shoved her shoulder back into its socket. Kagome bit her lip to stop the hiss of pain that was scraping at the back of her teeth, trying to escape the confines of her lips. She knew Sango wouldn't mind her letting her know of her pain, but all the years of keeping silent for Naraku wouldn't allow it now, or ever. Old habits die hard as they say.

"Hey Sango, my chest is hurting more. Is that just from the coughing?" Kagome wheezed some more.

"What does it feel like?" Sango asked, fear growing inside her.

"It feels like :cough: my heart is constricting inside of my :cough cough: chest. What's wrong with me Sango-chan?" Kagome asked, fear evident in her eyes and voice.

"I'm not sure sweetie, but stay with me girl until I can get Kesa back up here." Sango stroked her hair, and made comforting shooshing sounds.

"You should…hurry and…get Kesa. It's...getting hard...to breathe...San-" That's as far as Kagome had rasped before her head fell back and blackness enveloped her; binding her to the paradise unconsciousness brings to all who suffer.

"Kagome-chan!" A very pale Sango shook the comatose girl, fiercely clinging to her shoulders. "Kagome, wake up! Please! Kagome!"

* * *

Kesa hummed to the waves of music long since past as she moved around the kitchen, stirring one thing and chopping another. The string orchestra had just joined the lone violinist when Sango came bursting in hysterically, panting, and looking almost crazed. The older girl quickly glanced up from her sakura mochi, decided this was normal, and then went back to molding them into the correct shape.

"Kesa, it's :pant: Kagome! She's just blacked out and I can't get her to breathe! Hurry!" Sango wheezed after running down several flights of stairs at next to mock speed.

"Shit!" Kesa quickly glanced at the stove. "Mother fucker," She growled, then dropped the sakura mochi, ripped off her apron, and ran after Sango. On the way up the stairs, Kesa spotted a maid going into one of the spare bedrooms on the second floor landing.

"Ayume! Hold on a sec!" Kesa said as she easily sprinted ahead of Sango to stop the maid named Ayume. Kesa set her hand on the young girls shoulder, not even out of breath, and instructed her. "Please, will you go down to the kitchen and make sure the stove doesn't catch fire. When that's all good and dandy, go find Inuyasha and Miroku and tell them that something has happened to Kagome and to wait outside her room. After you tell them both, go down and keep an eye on dinner, and if I take too long, finish it yourself. Will you do it?"

"Of course Kesa-sama, you know I would," she said in her soft, melodic voice.

Kesa started running again to catch up with Sango who had already flung open the door to her room. "I'll yell at you later about the formally I heard in that statement Ayume!" Kesa yelled over her shoulder, grinning.

Ayume merely smiled softly and chuckled, going to complete the task Kesa asked of her.

* * *

When Kesa barged into the room, Sango was already attempting CPR on an extremely pale Kagome. _'Dammit! What the hell happened? She was fine when I left her. What happened between then and now?'_ Kesa though savagely as she took over Sango's job. Anger, worry, guilt, and fear all seethed from her like toxic miasma. _'If Naraku didn't fucking beat her, she wouldn't be going through this right now. But if I had been more careful and not just brushed her off to finish dinner, it wouldn't have gotten this far, and she wouldn't be so near the Grim Reapers hands. Damn, you better not die on me Kagome. I'll never forgive you.'_

"What the hell happened Sango?" Kesa growled while checking Kagomes' heartbeat. It wasn't there. If she didn't get Kagome's heart beating again, she was going to know more about the boatman and the river Styx than any book could ever teach her.

"I don't know...one minute she was fine, the next she starting coughing more and more, and said that her chest felt like it was constricting, her throat was numb and that the herbs were making her tired."

"Did she say anything else?"

"Yeah, that the herbs I gave her where helping with the pain."

"Hmm..." Kesa narrowed her eyes and looked down at the prone form of the once smiling girl. _'Kagome, what's going on with you...?'_

* * *

Inuyasha was sitting on his bed playing Soul Caliber 2 to blow off some steam. _'Damn...why can't I get Kagome off my mind? Is it because she resembles Kikyo so much? Kikyo...why did you have to be so perfect...yet such a cold bitch because of it? Oh fuck it all!'_ He thought savagely, and used Link's Master Sword to finish off Talim.

He grinned sadistically and was about to slice and dice Talims' prone body before the game cleared when one of the maids that he paid to clean up after his lazy ass, Ayume, knocked on the open door.

"What," he growled, pissed that his little ranting spree had been interrupted.

"It's Kagome-sama sir. Kesa-chan asked me to tell you and Miroku-sama that there is something wrong with Kagome-sama and to wait outside her room..." She didn't have a chance to say anymore because a slight breeze and white blur had just hit her square in the face, and she smiled slightly and shook her head. She silently walked over to the TV and saved the score that Inuyasha had racked up before turning off the PS3 and leaving to find a certain perverted houshi.

* * *

"Ok..." Kesa turned to Sango. "I hope that I can get her heart going. I'll need the AED..." Kesa trailed off and stopped pumping on Kagomes' chest for a moment and leaned down to breathe into her mouth.

"The what?" Sango asked.

"The portable defibrillator. The thing that shocks people," Kesa spat out between compressions.

"Oh yeah. I don't know all the new medical stuff sorry…" Sango apologized as the door slammed open and almost broke off the hinges as a pissed half-demon stormed into the room. He took one look at Kesa and Kagome's connected lips and got a disgusted look on his face.

"Oh Jesus Christ...I thought this was a fucking emergency. I guess Ayume was right, something _is_ wrong with Kagome: you're forcing yourself on her while she's injured. Damn, I thought you wouldn't stoop so fucking low Kesa." He blushed slightly at the thought of what Kesa was "doing" to Kagome. "Get. Off. Her."

Sango narrowed her eyes and glared for all she was worth. Kesa stopped breathing precious air into Kagome's blocked lungs and started pumping on her chest again before speaking a few moments later.

"Inuyasha. Fuck. You. But, you want me to back off of her. Fine." Kesa backed away from Kagome's body, whereas Sango started pumping on her heart in lieu of Kesa. Inuyasha stared dumbfounded as the sun stared rising above his head. "But just because your "awesome" demon senses seem to be on vacation, I'll fill you in on a little secret. She isn't breathing! I was giving her CPR you fucking retard! How dare you think I would take advantage of a comatose girl who's barely breathing, and is about to fucking die if she doesn't get some goddamn oxygen soon! I don't even like girls! Gods you are such an asshole Inuyasha!" Kesa shouted at the stunned hanyou. She let that sink into his thick skull before she tried to diagnose what in the seven bloody hells was going on with Kagome. Then she gently pushed Sango out of the way and continued with her original motions before the dumbass known as Inuyasha interrupted. She then noticed when she dipped her head down to give Kagome mouth-to-mouth that small red patches were appearing on her face and neck. She looked under the sheet over her bare body and saw that they were appearing everywhere. She smirked and got a cocky look on her face.

"Yash, go wait outside for me to pummel you when I'm done here. And shut the door behind you for once; this isn't a barn. Fill in Miroku when he finally stops sucking off some bimbos' face and gets his ass over here. Sango, make yourself useful, and get me the AED, my blade, a cap pen not a clicky one, a roll of surgical tape and sterile dressings, a couple clean cloths, and a basin full of warm water." Sango just stared at Kesa as though she had just sprouted some extra limbs, and Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest.

"Yash, not one word or you'll have my foot so far up your ass you'll be using it as a chew toy. Now GO!" She pointed towards the door, and pushed her mouth against Kagome's for a moment.

"Sango, you better get me those things if you want this girl to live." She snapped Sango out of her trance when she resurfaced.

Sango nodded and pushed a shocked Inuyasha out the door as a dazed looking Miroku came strolling down the hallway leisurely. Sango sprinted down the hallway to Kesa's room, and Inuyasha sank into the chair that he had placed in the hall earlier, and placed his head in his hands.

"What did I miss?" Miroku asked distractedly. It was no secret that he was reminiscing about the aforementioned bimbo, and wasn't too interested in the present.

Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to pound Miroku's face in at that moment.

* * *

Sango slammed the door behind her with her foot and set the basin onto the nightstand, sloshing a little water, and took the pen, tape, and blade out of her pocket and placed it next to the bowl. The rag that had been draped on her shoulder and the AED that was slung over her shoulder soon followed suit. She then went and locked the door, and hung back, not sure what to do now.

Kesa hooked up the AED to Kagome and waited for it to charge. Once it did she shocked Kagome and her heart started again, pumping on its own. The AED then said she didn't need another shock, but she left the pads on Kagome in case she needed a shock again later.

"Ok. What happened is that she must have been allergic to one of the herbs that you gave her, and that's what's causing all this," she nodded her head to the girls' unmoving figure. I need to open up her trachea, so what I'm going to do is slice it open and keep air going though it. That's where the blade, comes in," she paused and breathed into Kagomes mouth again. "Then, I'm going to put the pen into her throat. That should eliminate the need for mouth to mouth. I sure as hell hope it does anyway. All I _may_ need to know are what herbs you gave to her, and I'll try to counter it with something else if this doesn't work. If it does work, we just keep her stable until the herb wears off. Now, take the ink cartridge out of the pen, make sure it's open on both sides and clean...very good, wet the cloth and hand it to me." Kesa then proceeded to cleanse Kagomes neck and handed the cloth back to Sango when she was done. "You wouldn't happen to have any sanitizing wipes in here would you?

"Yeah, I have some for when you eat in here."

"Oh haha. Aren't we just the regular comedian? Get me one. I don't want to chance this getting infected. My blade is already sanitized; I do it regularly in case of an emergency. Not too uncommon around here, obviously."

"It wasn't as bad until you came around," Sango teased while handing her the wipe, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Always knew I had to be good for something." Kesa wiped down the front of Kagomes neck and chucked the used wipe over her shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Hay's for horses."

"This is my room," Sango protested the age-old comeback.

"This, is an E.R. right now. Clean-up time comes later. Like when the patient is stable. Now quit your whining I'll pick it up when I'm done." Kesa grabbed the nine-inch blade from the nightstand and flipped it open with practiced ease.

"I'll pick it up when I'm done," Sango mocked in a false voice under her breath while picking up the offending object in question and throwing it away.

"Do want me to accidentally slice her jugular because you distracted me?" Kesa held the point of her blade over Kagome's throat, judging the best place to cut.

"No!"

"Then shut up and let me concentrate."

Sango nodded silently behind her back, knowing that Kesa would realize she would stop trying to get her in a more relaxed mood.

Kesa then expertly sliced though Kagomes neck without a second thought after she found the spot she wanted, and handed the blade to Sango. Kagome's blood was gushing everywhere, soaking the sheets and mattress beneath her, and staining Kesa's hands and wrists. She placed her fingers on the cut, trying to slow the blood flow a bit until she got the pen in. Sango looked at the blood and gulped. _'Inuyasha will have a shit fit with all that blood.'_

"Pen barrel." Sango dropped it in her expectant hand, and she put that though the half-inch incision now invisible under the glow of color that stained her creamy skin.

"Tape." Sangos' hand shook slightly at the sight of Kagomes life substance running all over her bed and onto her hardwood floor. _'If she dies, I'll never sleep in this bed again.'_

Kesa expertly and quickly wrapped the sticky gauze around the pen barrel sticking straight up from Kagome's pale neck; with the wound relatively sealed the blood flow slowed. A dot of red began growing on the stark white tape, not unlike a child pressing a permanent marker to paper. Kesa watched Kagome's chest for signs of movement and was relieved to see it rise and fall slightly. _'Good, she's beginning to breath a little now,' _Kesa thought, a little relieved.

The two conscious occupants of the room then held with bated breath after Kesa had pulled away minutes later. Fear that this procedure would fail jumped around in their minds laughing gleefully, excited that it was causing such a reaction in two normally masked girls. Kagome's chest started to rise and fall in a steady rhythm-barely-but enough to know that CPR or the AED were no longer needed, which was a very good thing; Kagome didn't need anymore broken ribs. After a few more precarious and silent minutes, her chest moved in a normal pattern. Kesa and Sango breathed normally again for the first time in a while.

"There...I don't think that I'll have to counter the herb. At least not yet. She seems pretty good. Did you use a lot of the herb?"

"No, only enough to dull the pain."

"That's why it's being so lenient now. It took time to set in, but once the airway is opened, it shouldn't close again. Interesting. I haven't seen this in a very long time…

We'll have to keep a constant watch on her to see when she wakes up, any turns for the worst, and that kind of stuff. I'll take her heart rate and pulse and all that good shit in a few minutes, then check again every hour or so, maybe half-hour, until she's completely stable. We don't want that happening again, now do we?" Kesa grinned to cut the tension.

"What are we going to tell the boys?" Sango asked shakily, still being affected by the blood surrounding Kagome's head and neck like a grotesque halo.

Kesa shrugged, "The truth. Why would we tell them different? Let's clean up a little and then go face the beast. It's waiting to pounce on me for spilling her blood. And I'm waiting to pounce on it for being a dim-witted ass. Though he can be a loveable dim-witted ass at times I must admit." Kesa grinned, saying the mock-insult just loud enough that Inuyasha would hear exactly what she said though the extra thick walls.

* * *

After about ten minutes after the girls kicked him out, Inuyasha sniffed the air and found the scent of Kagome's blood. And a hell of a lot of it at that. _'What the fuck are they doing that they have to cut her? Wait...are they trying to operate?!'_ The last thought scared him. _'Is that why she told Sango to get her blade? But...grr. Yanno what, fuck it all. I don't care, I'm going in there.'_

Inuyasha started to rise from his seat when Miroku set a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. Inuyasha directed a warning growl at him, but the deviant merely shook his head.

"Wait until they are finished my friend. They would not attempt something that they are not sure of how to do. Also, you could startle them and do more harm to Kagome-sama than good. They will call for us if we are needed," Miroku told the irritated hanyou wisely.

"Keh."

Miroku shook his head again, this time at Inuyasha's immaturity, and removed his hand and went to lean against the banister again.

The girls came out almost a half hour later, Kesa wiping the last bit of blood from her hands and wrists with a damp rag, her shirt speckled with drops of deep red, almost giving the impression she was a painter who had just finished working for the day. Inuyasha peeked into the room and saw the pen sticking up like a beacon from Kagome's neck and nearly flipped.

"Inuyasha, let me explain before you get all pissy/protective mode on me," Kesa gently pushed the pissed off hanyou towards her room, before running the blood soaked cloth back into the room to hang over the basin.

Luckily, Inuyasha was in the mood for answers, and went peacefully when she came back out and started walking. Miroku and Sango faithfully trailed behind them, Miroku ending up with several bumps on the head courtesy Sangos' fist before they had even made it down the hall to Kesa's third floor room.

They all filed in and found a place to settle comfortably in the spacious area. Her room had the unmade beds' left side propped up against the wall in the far left corner of the room. It was nothing fancy, just a plain queen-sized four-poster bed. At the foot of her bed, she had placed a large cedar chest. A door that led to a large walk-in closet was on the right wall, along with a small rack that held books. Along the back wall was a small arsenal of weapons from all over in a large display case that only Kesa, Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had keys to. It held classic Japanese weapons, such as katanas, Ninja throwing stars, bows and arrows, kodachis, and daggers with elaborately engraved hilts. There were foreign ones too, such as a straight bladed sword, scythes, broad swords, knives and switchblades, but no guns or automatic weapons of any kind. Above them all, on the bare wall above, there was something that didn't fit in with all the steal. It was a Hirakotsu, or bone boomerang. It was quite old and worn, but still deadly for all those who could wield its massive weight.

Along the left wall adjacent to the door was the entertainment center that was the same as Sango's, except that Kesa had the movie racks on either side of the centered TV. Farther down the wall in the corner was a writing desk like Sango's that held a state-of-the-art computer with high-speed internet. In the center of the room was a large, but low table that held some knick-knacks and candles along with the remains of junk food and candy wrappers. A sofa was on the far side of the table, facing the entertainment center with two more chairs on either side of the coffee table. On the right wall adjacent to the door were two cedar bureaus that were half open with clothes spilling over the top and onto the floor.

Kesa went and plopped down on the sofa, while Sango and Miroku sat down on the bed. Inuyasha remained standing.

"Ok, first of all, you're probably wondering where I learned about medicine and all that other good medical crap-"

"You're damn straight we are! Why didn't you get Sess-" Inuyasha interrupted Kesa rudely.

"Inuyasha, don't make me duct tape you," Kesa growled threateningly, grabbing a roll off the cluttered table. Inuyasha gulped and shut his mouth. He knew she had some strange fetish with duct tape, and would not hesitate to slap a piece on his overactive lips.

"Besides, do you really think that Sesshoumaru would save a human? Willingly? Without his life being threatened? Not bloody likely. He probably doesn't even want to save half of his damn demon patients at that stupid hospital he works at! Anyway, as I was saying," Kesa continued, as if nothing had ever happened, still gripping her duct tape as a warning to the others. "I learned medicine when I was in Hokkaidō. My ex-master Taisho Rei's wife Naomi was a doctor, and worked at a nearby demon hospital. When her young son was hurt, I was the only nearby slave that could help, but I didn't know anything about medicine. I helped where I could, fetching materials and such. I was only about ten at the time, yet the sight of blood didn't bother me, and I was willing to do as she asked because I was interested. Anyway, her son had been trying to impress his mother with his 'awesome' sword fighting abilities. Somehow, the dipshit managed to impale himself though the stomach, though I still don't know how, and the hospital was too far away- he would have bled to death in the time it would have taken to get there.

Moving on, when she saw what a cool head I had kept, she decided that she would teach me medicine, and I could be the resident doc in her absence. I loved it, science has always fascinated me, and I learned about anything and everything. She taught me all that she knew, which was a hell of a lot considering she was the best damn doctor within a hundred mile radius. After a while of training, she then trusted me with more mature responsibilities since we spent so much time together. It didn't matter that she was demon, and I a human; we were best friends for a different reason. She told me once, that she even thought of me as a daughter. I stayed there from when I was very young until I was fourteen, when she was killed in a mugging coming home late one night from work.

It wasn't long after that when Taisho's business went under and Kikyo bought me and several others. He was so distraught about Naomi that he let it all go under, though not many people realize that. Sure he slept around, but it was all physical; he loved his wife dearly. Kikyo was an old acquaintance of his and bought the slaves because she pitied him. I don't know if they really were once lovers or not, it's all gossip. I just keep it going and keep his secrets because he treated me decently enough." She paused here, emotion welling up inside of her, almost threatening to take over her control. She'd never told anyone this before. "Ok, ok enough with the mushy crap. Blah blah blah, I met 'Yash through Kikyo and around a year later I came here. Satisfied?"

"That's the most you've ever talked about your past Kesa-chan. I'm impressed. That's why you were so comfortable around Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru the first time you met them. You were used to youkai being docile," Miroku laughed softly, while Inuyasha growled playfully.

"And it's all you're going to hear for a while too hon," she grinned in response. She walked over to Inuyasha and grabbed his hand. He looked up quickly, only to meet her semi-amused eyes. After a few moments of silence, she consoled him. "You can go see her now if you want. Just don't startle her. I'll be by in a couple of minutes to check her BP and all. Then she's all yours."

Inuyasha squeezed her hand lovingly and ran from the room in a blur of red and white. Kesa smiled and shook her head and walked over to open up her cedar chest.

* * *

Sesshoumaru's headache had just started to disappear, when his sensitive nose caught the scent of blood. Human blood, of course. _'Damn, it's not Inuyasha who's wounded. Why can't the gods ever favor me for once?'_ He sniffed the air delicately to pinpoint the source. He found that it was coming from one of the third floor rooms. _'Probably just the wench that my dearest half-brother picked up earlier. She probably just tore open one of her wounds. Pretty badly from the absolute stench of it all,'_ he thought callously, and returned to the forms that he needed to fill out for his patients.

The bittersweet scent continued to tickle his nose until he could no longer concentrate on the question that his eyes were staring at blankly, his mind not absorbing a thing. _'Damn, how long is she going to bleed before someone stops it?'_ He was getting pretty pissed at the fact that someone was bleeding in _his_ house, without him being the cause. Usually it was he who caused the bloodshed, and he damn well enjoyed it, which is quite ironic considering the fact that he was the most sought-after doctor at the Shingetsu Hospital, the best hospital in all of Japan.

'_Oh to hell with it, I better go if I want that putrid stench to end.'_ And so he rose silently and disappeared through the door, making sure that it was magically sealed behind him. He was a man of privacy and solitude, and liked nobody snooping through his personal things.

As he passed the slave girls room that he couldn't stand for the life of him, he caught the faint trace of the very blood that had angered him in the first place. He stopped and heard voices on the other side. It sounded like his pathetic brother, and that bitch slave herself. He decided to listen to see if he could get any answers.

"-damn straight we are! Why didn't you get Sess-"

"Inuyasha, don't make me duct tape you." It sounded as though his bastard brother and the bitch were having an argument. But when the beginning of his name was mentioned, he became interested. _'Now why would those clowns be talking about me?'_ he pondered silently and listened on.

"Besides, do you really think that Sesshoumaru would save a human? Willingly? Without his life being threatened? Not bloody likely. He probably doesn't even want to save half of his damn demon patients at that stupid hospital he works at!"

Sesshoumaru grinned sadistically. _'At least the wench does not delude herself with lies. Because she's absolutely right...for once,_' he added, grinning a tad bit wider.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I learned medicine when I was in Hokkaidō. My ex-master Taisho Rei's wife Naomi was a doctor, and worked at a nearby demon hospital. When her young son was hurt, I was the only nearby slave that could help, but I didn't know anything about medicine. I helped where I could, fetching materials and such. I was only about ten at the time, yet the sight of blood didn't bother me, and I was willing to do as she asked because I was interested. Anyway, her son had been trying to impress his mother with his 'awesome' sword fighting abilities. Somehow, the dipshit managed to impale himself though the stomach, though I still don't know how, and the hospital was too far away- he would have bled to death in the time it would have taken to get there.

Moving on, when she saw what a cool head I had kept, she decided that she would teach me medicine, and I could be the resident doc in her absence. I loved it, science has always fascinated me, and I learned about anything and everything. She taught me all that she knew, which was a hell of a lot considering she was the best damn doctor within a hundred mile radius. After a while of training, she then trusted me with more mature responsibilities since we spent so much time together. It didn't matter that she was demon, and I a human; we were best friends for a different reason. She told me once, that she even thought of me as a daughter. I stayed there from when I was very young until I was fourteen, when she was killed in a mugging coming home late one night from work.

It wasn't long after that when Taisho's business went under and Kikyo bought me and several others. He was so distraught about Naomi that he let it all go under, though not many people realize that. Sure he slept around, but it was all physical; he loved his wife dearly. Kikyo was an old acquaintance of his and bought the slaves because she pitied him. I don't know if they really were once lovers or not, it's all gossip. I just keep it going and keep his secrets because he treated me decently enough. Ok, ok enough with the mushy crap. Blah blah blah, I met 'Yash through Kikyo and around a year later I came here. Satisfied?"

Sesshoumaru was shocked at this. _'This dumbass knows advanced medicine she claims to have learned from a demon? Doesn't seem likely but… Taisho…the name is faintly familiar. Maybe there is some truth to this story after all. I'll have to check into it. Interesting…I wonder what other secrets she is hiding from us.'_

"That's the most you've ever talked about your past Kesa-chan. I'm impressed. That's why you were so comfortable around Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru the first time you met them. You were used to youkai being docile." It sounded like the lecher talking now, with his brother growling lightly at the docile comment. _'So her name is Kesa. Hmm…'_

He decided that the conversation was getting boring, so he went to go see who it was exactly that was making that putrid stench.

He came to the door that he had seen his fool of a sibling talking to his friends outside of earlier, which is what happened to hold the source of his dilemma according to his nose. _'It took a real genius to figure out that this was the place.'_ Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes since no one was around to see him do so. He opened the door, and was surprised to see that the girl inside had a pen barrel sticking up from her throat. He walked over to examine her and saw immediately what was wrong. _'This girl had an allergic reaction that caused her to stop breathing. The faint spots are rashes caused by the allergen. And judging on the time lapse, if Sango gave her the allergen, probably an herb knowing her, right before I saw her talking to Inuyasha, it didn't happen immediately either. I wonder what herb it was...'_

He saw the the blood soaked sheets next to her. _'They must have moved her over so she wouldn't lie in her own blood. This must be the blood I smell. This mattress and the sheets are going to have to go and soon. That girl has done a pretty good job for being in such a hurry though, I must admit.'_ He then looked at the nightstand next to him and saw the basin full of bloody cloths from when they cleaned up the floor. The scalpel, Kesa's knife, was soaking in this crimson water. He picked it up, looking at the design on the handle. It reeked of Kesa, yet it wasn't an unpleasant as he would have expected. _'Odd...'_ he thought. He didn't realize that he was holding the knife, which was dripping red water, above Kagome, but that was how Inuyasha found him only moments later.

* * *

Inuyasha walked into the room, dragging the chair behind him, and the first thing that he saw was Sesshoumaru holding a knife with Kagomes blood all over it in his hands, over Kagome's limp body. It didn't help matters that the mattress was practically oozing her blood. Another brownie point was awarded to Sesshoumaru when Inuyasha noticed that the knife point was facing down, looking as if it had just been brought up from stabbing her, and Sesshoumaru was examining the handle, immersed in thought. Or maybe lost in guilt if he had just killed her. Inuyasha had to think only a moment to deduce it wasn't the latter. _'Nah, definitely not guilt. If there's one good thing about him, he can kill without ever looking back. He's the perfect assassin.'_

"Sesshoumaru..." Inuyasha growled between his clenched teeth after he had regained his ability to speak.

Sesshoumaru's head turned leisurely towards the sound of his disturbers' voice. Had he gotten so immersed in that damn girls scent that he had let his guard drop, and senses wander? No...it was something else. It had to be…but what exactly?

"Are you even paying attention to me you pathetic excuse for a demon?" Inuyasha was getting even more pissed because his brother's attention was wandering.

Sesshoumaru snapped out of his daze once again and responded coldly, "Did you want something..._dear __brother_?"

Inuyasha's growl only increased in volume at the loathing in Sesshoumaru's voice when he said the last part. He was pissed, and he was willing to fight Sesshoumaru if he had to.

"What the fuck did you do to her you bastard?"

Sesshoumaru almost looked offended. Almost. "And why would _you_ care?" he smirked.

"Why you..."

"Now now brother, don't be hasty. I have not touched your precious human, merely come to quell the stench of her blood. Now if you don't do it, I will, so take care of it or else I might just do something that you may not like too much." Sesshoumaru loved above all else baiting his hot-tempered brother, and seeing him seethe with the need to destroy him. _'Like that will ever happen.'_

And with that settled, he set the knife back down into the basin, and swept by Inuyasha, only pausing by his side for a moment to say; "Besides, if I had in fact harmed your human, as you claim, you would smell more fresh blood that just the liquid from her neck and the drying blood on the sheets. I personally guarantee that she would be drained dry. Remember that, little brother."

Inuyasha merely looked the other way and glared at the wall as Sesshoumaru left silently and gracefully in all his glory, without a backward glance.

* * *

"What are you doing, Kesa?" Sango asked as the said girl took out her keys and unlocked her chest.

"Getting my stethoscope and stuff. Why?" She asked, looking up at the girl quizzically.

"Oh, just wondering. I've never seen you open that chest before. Never in all the time I've known you..." Sango said almost to herself.

"This chest contains many memories that I have not wanted to dredge up. But to tell you the truth, it has been opened, just not in your presence," she said simply

Sango nodded, dropping it like rotten fruit. Miroku wasn't even paying attention to the conversation. He was…admiring, if you wanted to put it that way. The way Kesa's shirt fell as she was bending over gave Miroku a good view of her bound chest and cleavage line. Sango looked over at him to see why he was so quiet, and followed his line of vision. A tic quickly appeared on her forehead moments later.

"You god damn pervert!" Sango screamed at him, and whacked him over the head big time, effectively knocking him out cold.

She still had the tic on her forehead as Kesa chuckled. "You know... I think that the reason that he's so perverted is because of all the brain damage we give him. Maybe you should find a new place to hit him Sango." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at this, and Sango smacked her shoulder. Kesa laughed and locked the chest again.

"Make sure you drag him out of my room when you leave. I don't need him going though my underwear again," Kesa growled as she walked out the door.

Sango got a disgusted look on her face, and yelled out to Kesa, "When did he ever go through your underwear?!"

"Don't worry that's the day he got most of his brain damage."

Sango grinned evilly and flopped back on Kesa's soft bed. Boy was _she_ going to have fun when he woke up. It looked like rest of the blank chapters of _The Idiot's Guide to __Kicking_ _Ass _book were finally going to be filled.

* * *

Kesa was shaking her head and chuckling as she walked down the hall. She saw Sesshoumaru walking towards her, and was shocked to be seeing him twice in the same day, let alone within the time span of less than three hours_. 'I'm lucky if I see him a few times a week. Well...maybe lucky isn't exactly the word I'd use...'_ she thought as they approached each other.

"Hello Sesshoumaru-sama. What are you doing in this neck of the woods? Don't see you down here too often," she said as he was just about in front of her.

He merely glanced in her direction before deeming her unimportant and gliding down the hall towards the stairs.

Kesa glanced back at him over her shoulder. _'How rude!'_ she thought, turning around and actually paid attention to where she was going.

She had almost passed Sangos' room, and backed up until she could see into the door, and was quite surprised by the sight that greeted her dark eyes.

Inuyasha was inside, sitting on Sango's desk chair backwards with Kagomes slim hand resting in his clawed one, staring at her bruised face.

"Awwww... I'd hate to break up the love scene, but it's kind of necessary," Kesa grinned broadly as the stunned half-demon jumped at least a foot in his seat, dropping Kagomes hand as he did so.

She laughed and shook her head as she set her small bundle down at Kagomes feet. She then cleaned off the knife with a clean rag resting next to the basin. She did so in silence, Inuyasha staring at her movements as though he were mesmerized. Once the blade was completely clean, she snapped it shut. "I'll sterilize it when I'm done here…" she trailed off under her breath. She then stuck it in her back pocket, and picked up the pens remains.

"I don't think that we'll need _this_ anytime soon," she commented throwing them out, trying to lighten the mood. She picked up the tape and dressings, looked around for a moment, before she shrugged and stuck them in one of the many drawers of Sango's desk.

"I hope we don't need it for an emergency again, but we always have to be prepared. Now I'll know where it is." she said somberly.

"Why did you say emergency specifically?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes questioning.

"Oh, caught that did you? It's because I'll have to change the tape around her neck regularly so it doesn't get infected and so I can apply crap like Neosporin when it's closed up more."

Inuyasha merely nodded and his gaze flicked to Kagome for a moment, before resting on the bowl. Kesa picked it up, and told him, "I'll be back in a minute. I'll go dump this, and fill it with fresh water and get a few new towels. While you're here, wet the rag every now and then with cool water and move it around Kagome's face until she wakes up to make sure she doesn't get a fever, ok?"

"Yeah sure," he mumbled, and watched her walk out the door. He looked down at Kagome, and moved the sheet off of her almost naked, twisted body, now with splints and bandages because of her serious injuries. _'Why did he do this? This girl couldn't have done anything to anger him. But why do I care so much already? It must just be a spur of the moment thing. I'm caught up in the situation. Yeah…that has to be it. But gods she's still so beautiful. How could he...'_ Inuyasha's fist was shaking with the need to hit something. "That bastard will pay!" he growled loudly.

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock. Naraku will die. We all have something in our past that he's wounded us with. You with Kikyo, Miroku with his father and grandfather, me, well I'll tell you that one some other time, and I know he did something that hurt Sango badly. I could tell when she told me his name that it meant something to her, and with his track record, it can_not_ be that he just forgot to send her a Christmas card one year. Don't worry he's definitely going down. He's pissed off, ripped off, and killed too many people for his crimes to go unpunished for any length of time. We'll try our damnedest though to make sure he gets his come-upends Yash. His end is near either way," Kesa consoled Inuyasha's burning rage for the time being, and dwindled it down to a mere anger that could only be satisfied by one thing, and one thing only: seeing Naraku swimming in a puddle his own blood.

**Questions, comments, you know what to do.**

**Ja!**


	6. The Pain of Jest

**.:A Slaves Love:.  
**_By: Kagura-hime_

_Summery_: In a world where humans are slaves to youkai, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her and heals her wounds. But can he mend her broken heart too? I/K Miroku/Sango, Sess/OC

_Disclaimer_: Damn you people are picky. I don't own Sesshoumaru...but he's still hot.

_Notes_: Ok…nothing much. Just that, duh, I've redone all previous chapters and you might want to skim them over since I've added information, expanded, updated the shitty-ass writing style, edited grammar, and all around revived it. Go me.

_Recommended fics_: 28 Days by _Rozefire_.

**:A Slaves Love:  
**_.:Chapter 5: The Pain of Jest:._

**Last time**- Inuyasha's fist was shaking with the need to hit something. "That bastard will pay!" he growled loudly.

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock. Naraku will die. We all have something in our past that he's wounded us with. You with Kikyo, Miroku with his father and grandfather, me, well I'll tell you that one some other time, and I know he did something that hurt Sango badly. I could tell when she told me his name that it meant something to her, and with his track record, it can_not_ be that he just forgot to send her a Christmas card one year. Don't worry he's definitely going down. He's pissed off, ripped off, and killed too many people for his crimes to go unpunished for any length of time. We'll try our damnedest though to make sure he gets his come-upends Yash. His end is near either way," Kesa consoled Inuyasha's burning rage for the time being, and dwindled it down to a mere anger that could only be satisfied by one thing, and one thing only: seeing Naraku swimming in a puddle his own blood.

**This time**- "Mmm...This is great Kesa!" Sango chewed happily on the dinner that Kesa had begun making before the incident with Kagome.

"I doubt it…but thanks anyway Sango. Just remember you have to tell Ayume that too, since she finished while I was helping Kagome," she replied abashedly.

'_She's never been self-absorbed. At least not since the day I met her,'_ Sango thought gratefully, _'But if she _had _been an egotistical bitch, I would've smacked her repeatedly until I knocked that disease out of her.'_

"Don't give me that. You made most of it, _and_ you're the one who decided to try something new. Don't be modest; be proud that you made something this delicious."

"Well, I can be modest if I want, so plehhhh," Kesa blew a raspberry at the smiling girl across from her.

Sango laughed as Kesa gathered up her plate and chopsticks, and gestured for Sangos, but she shook her head. Kesa shrugged and put the scraps in the trash along with the chopsticks, and the dish in the sink. She then grabbed one of the three dishes sitting on the counter, and popped it in the microwave to warm it up.

"Whatcha doin'?" Sango asked with her mouth full of grilled, teriyaki flavored chicken.

"I know that even though Inuyasha is a food hound-yes there was pun intended there-" Kesa smiled at the amused look Sango shot at her, "he won't leave Kagome's side until she wakes up. And also I don't want to bother Ayume again, so I thought I'd bring Sesshoumaru up his dinner. I'll leave Miroku's here, since I don't have a clue as to where he is. I'll let you deal with him," Kesa smirked suggestively and ducked as Sangos shoe came flying at her head, giggling girlishly.

"What ever you may hear, I do _not_ like Miroku in any way, shape, or form, so just shut up about him," Sango blushed furiously.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that Sango-chan. I was hoping for just the opposite actually."

Sango's face scrunched up in an oh-please-god-no expression as she slowly twisted towards the kitchen door, face glowing tomato red, while Kesa on the other hand was having an extremely difficult time containing the mountain of giggles waiting to explode from her mouth.

"Uh...Miroku...when did you get here?" Sango coughed embarrassedly.

"I just arrived a few moments ago. I believe it was around the time that Sesshoumaru was mentioned."

Kesa couldn't hold it anymore, and she roared with mirth. Sango's other shoe went flying in her direction, but Kesa wasn't paying attention. However she had luckily decided at that moment to double-over clutching her stomach, and it missed her by a mere inch. It didn't, however, miss the pots and pans hanging up from the ceiling. Miroku and Sango joined in with the laughing now, and a faint "shut up!" was heard from one of the upper floors.

The kitchenware was jingling merrily along with the now forced laughter, which was quickly fading. Soon three people were awkwardly standing around a kitchen, staring at anything but each other. Finally, someone became sick of the stifling silence, and effectively broke it.

"Man Sango, you really need some anger management. Yanno that, right?" Kesa smirked while picking up Sangos' shoes.

"I DO NOT NEED ANGER MANAGEMENT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

"You're welcome…" Kesa mumbled while rubbing her aching ears.

"You had said something about dinner, m'lady?" Miroku quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah, and since you're here, you can have the stuff I'm heating up."

"Thank you Kesa. And may I ask who the food was originally for?" Miroku quirked an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Either Sesshoumaru or Yash, whoever I gave it to."

At Miroku's puzzled look, Kesa sighed and elaborated a bit while Sango slurped up the rest of the sauce on her dish.

"I was heating up" –BEEP BEEP BE- the microwave interrupted her speech.

But Kesa interrupted it when she quickly opened the microwave door. She knew how the demons in the house hated that sound.

She grabbed a pack of chopsticks from the drawer, and handed him the teriyaki chicken that she had cooked.

"It's American," she said when Miroku opened his mouth.

"It's good, who cares what it is," Sango interrupted as she cleaned up her empty dish.

"As I was saying," Kesa put one of the other dishes into the microwave, "I was heating up Sesshoumaru and Yash's dinners, and I was going to bring it up to them. So the one that you just got would have gone to whomever I plopped it down in front of. Got all that?"

"Yes, I understand now. May you ladies excuse me? I wish to dine in my room tonight."

"Sure."

"Whatever."

Miroku bowed his head in acknowledgement, and left the room. When he was out of earshot, Kesa got an impish grin on her face.

"And you don't like him. I'll understand perfectly if you want to leave me and help him find some after-dinner entertainment."

"GOD I HATE YOU SOMETIMES!!!"

BEEP BEEP BEEP

* * *

Kesa knocked on the door to Sango's room, carefully ginger of her forearm, which was quite sore and bruised after having to block the kicks and punches Sango threw at her after her little comment about Miroku. She had paid dearly for that remark, but she wouldn't trade anything in the world for the look on her face.

Inuyasha opened the door, and looked at Kesa who was picking a full dinner tray up of the floor, where she had set it so she could knock.

"Thought you might be hungry," she smiled.

"Feh, I'm not hungry," the stubborn hanyou turned up his nose.

Kesa saw the slight twitch of his nose, which meant that he smelled it, and wanted it.

She pushed past him into the room, and set the tray down on one of the nightstands. Inuyasha just stared at her, as she set the other tray down at Kagome's feet, and checked her vitals. When she was done, she sighed and smiled gently.

"She's out of the woods. She's only sleeping now," she grabbed the tray and walked towards the door. As she passed Inuyasha, Kesa said, "Leave the tray in the hallway when you're done. I'll pick it up later."

Inuyasha just stared as she walked out and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Kesa smiled softly as she walked up the stairs to the fourth floor. _'I wonder what he'll do when I of all people show up at his door…'_

She padded swiftly and silently down the carpeted hallway toward the end of the corridor. When she reached Sesshoumaru's room, she sighed slowly and quietly knocked on the door. He answered within moments, and stood there looking quite annoyed.

"Wench, why do you bother me when I so obviously detest your presence?" he snarled in her face.

"Well I'm sorry that I interrupted your precious work, _master_, but I thought that since there was no formal dinner tonight, you might be a little hungry. I was only trying to make things a little easier for you so that you didn't have to stop working, go downstairs, make your own damn food, and come back up! Never again will I go out of my way to help you!" She ranted at him, slammed the tray into his arms, and stalked off. _'Grr…I can't believe that I thought he would kiss me in the kitchen earlier! He is definitely a virgin with that attitude; and even if he isn't, he probably sucks in bed anyway. Stupid tight-ass bastard.'_

Sesshoumaru merely raised an eyebrow after reading her thoughts, and smirked while he spoke down the hallway to her. "You do realize that we _pay_ servants to do things like this, correct?"

"Oh will you just bite me!"

"Hmm…" Sesshoumaru's grin merely got larger as he backed into the room and shut the door, making sure that he locked it securely.

* * *

As Kesa was storming by Sangos room, the steam coming off her head almost blocked her sight of the empty tray on the ground. Almost.

Kesa's bad mood evaporated in seconds as she picked up the tray and continued down to the kitchen whistling a cute little tune.

**.:One Week Later:.**

"Ow!"

"Sorry Kag, I didn't mean to hurt you," Sango said apologetically, while stretching Kagome's sore legs.

"Liar. Of course you meant to hurt her. It's your life's mission to do so."

_Wham_. "Ow! Hoe…"

"No, it's my life's mission to bash that sarcasm out of you, Kesa"

"No, it's your life's mission just to bash me, since you know that I'll never change."

"True. Very true," Sango agreed thoughtfully.

Kagome giggled and looked between the pair she now came to trust completely. _'These two are better than the three stooges. And just a tad bit more violent…'_

"Hey Kag."

"Yeah?" Kagome asked, looking over at Kesa, who was lying next to her playing some game on PS3 where you did jobs for the mob in Vice City, swiped cars, and a bunch of other violent deeds that she loved.

"Do you want to see the gardens?" She asked without looking away from the screen, where she had just blown up a helicopter or two.

"How? My legs still aren't healed, and I can't move very much."

"Hold on a sec." The game was paused for the first time in an hour and a half. She left the room and Sango just stared at the door after her, her brow creasing in obvious confusion.

"Um…?"

Sango just shrugged, sat down on the bed, and unpaused the game. About five minutes later, Kesa came back, pushing wheelchair with leg braces resting in the seat.

"Merry Christmas Kag, you've just won my old wheelchair. I dug it out of the attic-" She stopped short when the sounds of a violent car chase ended, and turned slowly to the T.V. screen where BUSTED was seen in big letters.

"You didn't…"

"Hehehe…sorry?" Sango asked, fearing the wrath of the game freak in front of her.

She looked peeved for a moment before shrugging and saying, "It's ok, I can get to six stars again in under ten minutes, no biggie," She walked over and turned off the PS3.

While Sango stared in shock, Kesa finished what she had started. "Now where was I…?" You could almost see the light bulb dully flickering on top of her head, never actually staying lit.

"The wheelchair and the attic…" Kagome suggested helpfully.

The light bulb flicked on full force. "Now I remember! I dug this thing out of the attic a few days ago for you, so I could show you around, and man was it hell getting it out. It was dusty and smelly and hot as balls up there."

"Kesa! Watch your language!" Sango scolded again for god knows what time that day.

"Sorry mom," she rolled her eyes.

"You'd better be!" Sango playfully wagged her finger.

"Uhh, guys? I'm not sure I can get myself in that thing," Kagome voiced as Kesa unfolded the chair.

In response, Kesa gingerly slipped her arms under Kagome's back and under her ass.

"Don't take this personally," she commented when Kagomes face looked horrified. Suddenly Kagome's face turned coy, and now it was Kesa's turn for a little horror.

"You know you like it."

"Oh yeah baby," Kesa smiled, winking at Kagome.

Sango faked barfing in the corner as Kesa slipped Kagomes upper body into the chair, leaving her legs on the bed.

"Hmm…" She scrunched up her face as she tried to figure out how to get Kagomes legs on the leg rests without hurting her broken ankles and previously unnoticed fractured left fibula.

"Sango, come over her and hold her feet while I back up the chair and attach the leg rest."

"Ok."

Sango walked around the bed, and carefully picked up Kagome under the ankles, while Kesa moved the chair back and attach the one bar that would hold Kagomes left leg straight in front of her.

"Score! Does it hurt Kag?" Kesa cheered when they were done.

"It's a little uncomfortable, but I'll live," Kagome responded.

"Then let's go." Sango took the words right out of Kesa's mouth.

* * *

Kesa held open the doors as Sango wheeled Kagome along. They had just finished giving her a quick tour of the mansion and were now going outside to show her the surrounding landscape. When Kagome saw all the mountains and the sea in the distance, she immediately wanted to go exploring.

"Wow…I've never seen the sea before. Or mountains like this for that matter. Only Mt. Fuji and that was only once from a good distance."

"Well then, once you're healed, we'll take you swimming and hiking with us," Kesa told her, discreetly glancing at her arm, leg, knee, ankle and wrist casts. The wrap around her torso for her ribs wasn't visible through her shirt, and neither were all the bandages for the cuts and gashes. _'Which won't be anytime soon.'_ She silently added after assessing the time it would take for her to fully heal.

Sango, meanwhile, had started absentmindedly pushing Kagome around back, and hadn't seen the large stick five feet in front of them, and Kagome was looking at the clouds, seeing what shapes she could find.

Kesa was staring out into the distance, remembering her own injuries, and absently rubbed her scarred cheek. She was violently shaken out of her revere by Kagome's screams of agony.

"Oh Jesus! I'm so sorry Kagome! I didn't see the branch there! Please forgive me!" Sango hurriedly explained to a pain-stricken Kagome who was clutching her ribs with her mostly uninjured arm.

Suddenly Inuyasha and Miroku appeared on his balcony and looked down worriedly.

"What's happening? Is everything ok?"

"Lady Kagome!"

"Everything's fine, she just got jostled a little and it hurt her ribs," Sango explained, pulling an herbal ointment out of her pocket.

"A LITTLE!?" Kagome screamed before deflating a little.

"Uh…Sango?" Kesa started.

"Yeah," she said absently, while unbuttoning Kagome's shirt to cut the wrap and rub the herb on her ribs to dull some of the pain.

"Remember what happened _last_ time you tried giving her an herb?" Inuyasha finished for her.

At this Sango stopped. "Well this is a different herb and the fact that she's not ingesting it should stop any of the reactions of last time. The most that would happen is hives."

"Hives? They don't sound fun. But I almost died last time, right?" Kagome asked slowly, rubbing the Band-Aid on her throat.

"Yeah…" Sango started, "But Kesa saved you."

"I know…what herb did you put on my throat again? It stings a little."

"Yarrow. It spurs blood coagulation and is used as a pain reliever. It stings-"

"Because it's a foreign substance on broken skin. Most anything on broken skin will hurt, Neosporin excluded, which is why it was _my_ first choice," Kesa finished, glancing up at Inuyasha and Miroku, both leaning on the balcony railing, trying to send Sango a subtle message.

Message received. "Everything's fine down here. Go back to doing what you were doing before."

"If you insist…" Miroku trailed off, staring hopefully down at Kesa, silently pleading for her to let him go down there and be with Sango.

"Beat it," she said, crushing his hopeful face and sending him inside with his tail between his legs.

"Feh, later," Inuyasha waved offhandedly over his shoulder, following the depressed Miroku inside.

"Finally! It's so hard to work with them around," Sango said, pulling a small pair of scissors out of her pocket and cutting the wrap around Kagome's ribs.

"Now what herb are you using?"

"Witch hazel ointment," Kesa butt in again.

"Do you mind? She was asking _me_," Sango complained to a grinning Kesa.

"No, not at all. I didn't hear your name being mentioned, so it was all fair ground," she taunted while a tic mysteriously appeared on Sango's head. "You know you're going to give yourself a stroke one day."

"Shut-up will ya…"

"Make me hoe."

"Grr…"

Kagome looked back and forth between the mock angry friends. "You two are so childish."

"Am not!"

"Thank you. It's nice to be noticed for what I really am."

Kagome giggled, but immediately stopped when her chest began hurting. "How could you tell?" she asked when the pain receded.

"About what, the herb? The smell, it's very distinct to any herbalist."

"Ah…"

She quickly sucked in a breath when Sango's cool hands began rubbing the salve on her ribs.

"I'm sorry, just a little longer…" she apologized quickly, rubbing as soft as possible.

When Kesa saw Kagome gripping the wheelchair arm tightly, she grabbed her hand and told her to squeeze it to help with the pain. Kagome gladly obliged, and Kesa nearly found herself with a broken hand.

When Sango had finished and Kagome let go of her hand, Kesa rubbed it looking hurt. "Damn girl, that's one hell of a grip you have there."

Kagome looked at her guiltily and began to profusely apologize, but Kesa would hear none of it.

"I volunteered. No apologies needed. Trust me, I _know_ what it feels like," she said, turning her back and walking away. "C'mon, we'd better bandage you up again before we continue."

Sango looked at her sadly while wheeling her friend along after her. _'She sure as hell knows the pain this girl is going through. Sure as hell indeed.'_

**Yeah, still sucks I know. I'm sorry, I tried.**

**Ja!  
Kagura-hime**


	7. Emotions Suck, Period

**:A Slaves Love:  
**_By: Kagura-hime_

_Summery_: In a world where humans are slaves to youkai, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her and heals her wounds. But can he mend her broken heart too? I/K Miroku/Sango, Sess/OC

_Disclaimer_: How could something as crappy as this make millions of dollars and be popular all over the world? I rest my case.

_Notes_: More revamping abounds. Check it out.

_Recommended fics_: Summer of My Demon Lover by _Samarah-chan_

**:A Slaves Love:  
**_Chapter 6: Emotions Suck, Period_

"That was so sad!" Kesa wailed as she and Kagome clung to each other crying.

"Yes, but it was also sad the first ten dozen times you watched it," Sango said flatly, not phased at all.

"But you have to admit Sango, it is sad. Especially since this is the first time I've ever seen _Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal_. That was the saddest movie ever…" Kagome said.

"Yeah, you have no heart, Maiden of Ice," Kesa responded.

Sango stuck her tongue out and Kesa attempted to grab the offending object, but sorely missed, and landed on the floor at the foot of the bed, which hurt a lot considering she had been lying on the bed next to Kagome before.

"Owie…" she rubbed her bruised hands with the opposite at the same time. She had landed on her hands and twisted them in an angle that they were not supposed to bend in to make sure she didn't break her neck when she rolled off the bed headfirst.

"God, are you ok?" Kagome asked, moving a little too hastily, and quickly pulling a pained expression.

"Not worse than you. Now lie back down and finish mourning Tomoe's death properly."

"Yeah, you should listen to her. _That_ is nothing to be worried over. She's done so many violent, and quite stupid things that have left her in worse condition that you…" Sango trailed off, and both Kagome and said girl suddenly stared sorrowfully at the innocently blinking girl sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Why in gods name are you two looking at me like that? What are you conspiring?"

They both burst out laughing, and Kesa grinned.

"Well…" Sango started.

"Ha, I knew it! I win!"

"Win what?"

"A prize," Kesa answered Sango's logical question evasively, not knowing what was to come.

"Would that prize involve a certain white haired demon?"

"Only if it comes with a shotgun and a shovel."

Kagome's mouth dropped open and she laughed at the comical look on Sango's face.

"You know he probably heard that right?"

"Clear as a bell."

"He's going to kill you now for sure," Sango worriedly wrung her hands.

"Like he wasn't going to before. It will just be a little more painful now. He hates me, and I know it."

"Gee I wonder why…"

"Hey, shut up you. Once you get better he'll probably plot your demise as well. But only after. He's an honorable opponent, I'll give him that."

"I take that to heart coming from you."

"Hey you should Sess," Kesa grinned, doing a half back bend to see his tall frame at the door.

Sango's mouth hit the floor, and Kagome was no longer laughing.

"What did you do?" Sango mumbled, almost to herself.

"The wench challenged me, and my authority, _again_. She is correct though. The only reason I haven't killed the nuisance yet is because I do not wish to have my _dear brother_ come up with some half-baked idea of revenge. I do not need him bothering me while I'm trying to work."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be going to said work?" Kesa asked, not fazed in the least, glancing at her watch.

The proud being standing in the doorway merely glared at her smiling form, freezing the insides of the other two occupants of the room.

"Call me 'Sess' again, and I will _not_ hesitate to rip you limb from limb. _Slowly_."

"Whatever you say, love. Now have a good day at work; don't be late, and drive safe," Kesa happily lifted one of her supporting hands and did a backwards wave before blowing him a kiss.

"Hmm…" He merely said, his eyes flashing dangerously, before gliding down the hallway in his scrubs.

"_Master,_" trailed down the hallway after him.

Sesshoumaru didn't even glance back, but his eyes softened a bit. His lips twitched, wanting to smile, but he was the great Sesshoumaru and he did not smile because some slip of a human wench teased him. It didn't matter that his heart had skipped a beat when she called him 'love.' _'She's just a worthless human, who needs her?'_

His hand contracted into a fist, in need of a throat to wring over the conflicting emotions he was trying valiantly to repress. _'Where's the mutt when I need him?'_

* * *

"God…he nearly gave me a heart attack…"

"I think he _did_ give me a heart attack."

"I think he shot me a dirty look. Now I wonder what _that_ was for…"

"Idiot!" Sango got up and kicked Kesa in the leg when she had returned to a normal position.

"Owie…Aren't I abused enough?" Kesa complained as she rubbed her throbbing calf.

"I think you're more brain-damaged than Miroku sometimes."

"And he gets beat a lot more than I do. That's pretty bad."

"You wanna see a beating?" Sango raised her fist, a tic popping on her forehead.

Kesa cowered down and made a face like a hurt puppy. "No…."

"Why did you say that? He looked pretty angry," Kagome tried to verbally break up the ensuing battle, since she obviously couldn't physically.

"Yeah, didn't he? I wish I'd had a camera. He usually only shows he's pissed around me. I guess I bring out the best in him."

"I believe you'd be dinner right now if you had taken a picture. And if that's his best, I'd hate to see his worst," Kagome again intervened Sango's much wanted bashing fest. "Question though. Sango, why did you bring him up in the first place?"

Sango shrugged in response. "I'm not really sure. It just kind of popped out. I guess I wanted to see how she would react when I mentioned him. He may be an arrogant ass, but said body part if definitely nice, along with the rest of him. He's every demon girls' desire, the heartthrob of this generation. You'd have to be insane not to be attracted to him for his looks, since that's the only thing he's got going for him with his attitude. He would make some huge money modeling if there was ever a need for it. I wanted to see if I could catch you off guard about him I guess," Sango directed the last phrase at Kesa.

"I think he has enough wealth though, which is something a lot of power hungry women surprisingly find even more attractive than him. His looks would just be a bonus to them. They have to be crazy though! I mean, have you seen his abs and biceps when he's working out? Even when he's not working out, god _damn_. If I didn't know him, and know his personality, I would jump his bones in a heartbeat. Even knowing him though, I still drool _every single time_ he strips his shirt off in the dojo. I can't help it; he's gorgeous! And his hips! They're so defined, which is unusual for a guy wit a lot of muscle! If there's one part of a guy that I go mad over, it's his hips, hands down," Kesa responded, smirking in approval while thinking back to the first time when she had walked into the dojo completely on accident while he was doing some training.

It had been for a dual that his hospital was hosting to raise money for children's organizations. Basically the staff fought each other for entertainment, since fighting's what demons like to see the best. It was stopped before any serious damage was done other than a few nasty bruises. Why he participated though, Kesa had no idea. It wasn't mandatory, and usually he wasn't bothered with charity work. Whatever the reason, the whole event was a huge success and the hospital made tens of thousands of dollars, with Sesshoumaru being the biggest seller. Everyone wanted to see him and requested him to participate even after he had won all his scheduled fights. He didn't have to train at all to win, but Kesa wasn't complaining when she got to see him topless, his muscles rippling.

"Wow Kesa, I would say that _someone_ is into Sesshoumaru," Kagome teased.

"Sweetie, I am definitely into his body-it's him I'm not into. The arrogance and detachment from the rest of the world are two traits I can stand. Hell, I even like them to a degree he's really pushing. It's his pompous ass "I'm so high and mighty" bullshit I can't tolerate. Sure he's a powerful demon with extensive schooling and training and has excellent job that he is extremely good at, but that is no reason to act as bad as he does. A little bit of an over-inflated ego is fine and dandy, even _normal_ if you will; an ego putting the Pacific Ocean to shame is completely intolerable."

"_Sure_, I believe you," Sango teased her, and Kesa turned up her nose, Inuyasha style complete with "Keh."

"I'm kidding. You'll find the right guy for you someday, I'm sure of it," Sango consoled, or thought she did at least.

"Oh yeah. Slaves always find a happy ending like in the fairy tales we had to tell to young demon children before bed. I'm never going to end up happily-ever-after, so what's the point of hoping things will work out how I want? Hasn't happened yet, so what's the point of holding onto that hope?"

"The point is to live as much as you can to have a full life! That's why you're here with us- so you can be happy and have a better life than most others!" Sango yelled at her, starting to get upset at the kind of talk Kesa was implying. This was how it all started last time…

"To live a full life? Don't make me laugh. It's great here; I love it and all of you, even our dear Sesshoumaru. I get to piss off a demon and a half-demon, and I don't get killed or beaten for it. Nice to know a few decent souls still dominate this earth. But let me in on something Sango, because I still seem to be missing the big picture. How the bloody hell am I supposed to live a full fucking life when I can't leave the house in anything but rags? How am I supposed to do all the things I've ever wanted when I can't even leave the grounds without acting like a fucking zombie? Tell me that Sango, and I'll rethink my idea on life and hope, and every other god damn thing I can't stand about this world."

Sango watched in anguish as Kesa forcefully pushed herself off the ground and stormed out the door, slamming it in her wake.

Both girls flinched at the sound and a single tear ran out of Sango's eye. Kagome looked more hurt at those words than she did when she moved too much. Though she had no idea what brought that on, she tried to offer as much comfort to Sango as she could, as her shoulders heaved in silent sobs. Kagome reached over and rubbed her back, and pulled her hair away from her face, while whispering words of consolation.

"Shh…it's okay…you two will get through this…she couldn't have meant it, she loves you too much…it will be okay…"

"What did I say to make her blow up like that? What did I do to set off her temper?"

Sango started sobbing outright, threw herself down next to Kagome, and cried her eyes out on the pillow next to her. The latter quickly put her arm around the girl, and silently cried right along with her, trying to share some of the burden.

* * *

Kesa didn't even acknowledge Miroku as he walked down the hallway, and waved to her cheerfully. He was actually on his way to see the lovely lady now (meaning Sango, of course) and had originally thought that Kesa would be with her. He was puzzled at the unreadable look on her face, and stopped to stare at her in amazement when his wandering hand wasn't punished. Because he didn't know the full story, he planned on taking full advantage of this little quirk.

"Kesa, my dear lady. Shall we walk together?" he asked, draping his arm around her shoulders, his hand going a little far down.

Miroku froze and stopped walking with her at the icy glare she sent him. It was the worst he had ever seen from her, and the very marrow of his bones froze at the hostility and fierceness he saw there. Even the brain-damaged Miroku knew when enough was enough, and when he regained the use of his legs, he ran to Sangos room, but stopped in front of the closed door when he heard someone sobbing within. He knew that he probably was not wanted, so he wandered off in search of a maid to make some tea or something for her. He couldn't stand to see or hear Sango cry, especially when there was nothing he could do to stop it.

* * *

"FUCK!" The shriek echoed throughout the empty dojo like a shot, ringing and echoing in the deeper chambers.

The cause of this cry was a young girl, with agony in her eyes, and murder on her face. This girl quickly grabbed the boxing gloves hanging from around the top of the bag, and did what she did best: she beat the living shit out of it.

Each punch was punctuated by a sharp yell, used to gain power, and power did she gain with each plea to the gods for mercy. She knew that Sango was crying, and that it was all her fault. She felt so guilty and ashamed about her actions that if she didn't channel them to anger then she would surely bawl worse than Sango. Hence, the need to fight to get the adrenaline rushes until she could get her emotions under control.

Tears pricked the corner of her eyes.

"God dammit…"

A single teardrop fell down her faint scar.

"Dammit all to fucking hell!"

'_This isn't working…'_

She angrily took off the gloves and promptly proceeded to chuck them in the corner with everything she had. _'God dammit…why do I have to be such an ungrateful bitch…why must I always provoke this shit? I can't just keep that kinda shit to myself, can I? Why do I have to be such a bad goddamn person?!'_ her mind screamed at her in full blast.

She quickly headed to the exit, and sprinted across the fields to a nearby forest, her legs pumping furiously due to the pace she was setting. She had a date with the trees.

* * *

A few hours later, Inuyasha pulled up in an old pickup truck, exhausted from work. He was sweaty, covered in sheetrock dust, and stank to high heavens. His normally decent hair was in a high ponytail, now a lovely shade of blonde from sawdust. His generally spotless claws had dirt and debris lodged under them, which would usually drive him insane. He practically dragged his lunch kettle into the house, where a maid quickly took it to the kitchen. He had one thought in mind: sleep.

Now, since this is a man we're talking about, and a tired, stubborn one at that, he didn't pay much attention to the message that an anxious Miroku was trying to relay to him. He just breezed right on passed him, intent on taking up the eager Sandman's offer. He was longingly visualizing his comfortable, oh-so-comfortable waterbed, which would happily embrace him like an old friend. Well, he hoped it would anyway, since he was dead on his feet and he needed a good embrace right then to keep him from falling flat on his face.

He only started paying attention when Miroku whirled him around and punched him in the gut. He gave the Sandman a rain check, and glared at Miroku with all he was worth, which wasn't all that much at the moment.

"What the fuck was that for ya dick?"

"It was the only way I could get you to pay attention."

"Couldn't have waited until _after_ I've slept for about 12 hours?"

"No, we have a huge problem with the girls."

"Is it Kagome? What's wrong? Is she okay?" a suddenly worried Inuyasha perked up, and forgot about his aching stomach.

Meanwhile, Miroku dropped his face in his hand. _'And all this time, all I had to do was mention Kagome …'_

Inuyasha impatiently awaited an answer, before realizing that if something was wrong with Kagome, he could smell it. Now, we never said that he was the brightest bulb in the box, especially at the current moment, so it had taken him a little longer to realize this amazing ability. He took a deep whiff, and smelled the strong scent of salt water. And it was mostly coming from Sango's room, and a he picked it up slightly from the dojo.

"As you can probably tell, Sango has been in her room crying for hours with Kagome. Kesa has disappeared, and we can't find her anywhere, though she did do a pretty good number on the punching bag, which, as I recall, you still have topped. Never again shall I stand in the same room as you while you are using a punching bag and are severely pissed," Miroku grinned at his last comment.

"Heh, Sesshoumaru shouldn't have screwed with me, and he wouldn't have had to pay repair bills. I was just venting some excess -yawn- steam, which I wish I had now…" Inuyasha trailed off grumbling to himself about some random topic, continuing on up the stairs.

Miroku sighed. _'I have my work cut out for me…'_

"Inuyasha get back here and let me explain! Inuyasha!"

* * *

Inuyasha was now showered, smell free, and squeaky clean. He was also falling asleep every five seconds while listening to Miroku's incomplete tale.

"So let me get this straight. Sango's brawling with Kagome, Kesa is missing, but the dojo isn't in complete ruins. That means they had a fight, and she went to the woods to vent. At least she didn't kill the dojo this time…it took a month to repair it last time!" Inuyasha exclaimed, using a large store of his low energy.

"And five whenever you and Sesshoumaru fight. We have to do nothing short of rebuild it completely whenever you two go at it," Miroku added, Inuyashas' eyes already drifting shut. But they snapped open when the last line reached his fuzzy ears.

"Oh God Miroku, think about that last statement for a moment…"

"Hmm…well that could sound exceedingly wrong if you had your mind in the gutter. And since you thought of it originally, why is your mind in the gutter and why is it thinking of your brother like that?"

"_Half_-brother. And how would you like to die? Slow and painful, or quick and easy?"

Miroku laughed nervously. "Quick and easy?"

"Slow and painful it is then."

And so, they went off topic again, and stayed there for a while.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sango was fast asleep trying to get rid of the monstrous headache that had formed while she was crying. Kagome was gently stroking her back still, when a stray tear or two leaked out of her closed eyes.

'_What a mess. How did this all start? She was fine earlier, why did she suddenly just go off like that? In the month that I've known her, she hasn't been anything but kind and eccentric, always upbeat about everything, taking everything in stride just like with Sesshoumaru today. Granted, that's not a long time, but I can tell that if that was all a complete act, then Sango wouldn't be so close to her. It's so confusing; I have no idea what's going on. She started acting weird when Sango brought up the topic that she would find a guy someday. Why would that be a touchy spot for her? I just wish she had told us if something was bothering her, then we could have helped and sorted this whole mess out before it had even begun…'_

She sighed, and looked at the sleeping girl beside her. _Where is Kesa anyway? Why hasn't she come charging in here in her usual fashion, a bouquet of flowers in hand, a silly out-of-tune song of apology spilling from her lips? She would do that. I know she would, just to get the laugh from Sango and to break the ice. I hope they make up soon…'_

* * *

Another hour after that, Kesa dragged herself back from the woods, bruised, bleeding, and exhausted. She dragged herself to the shoreline, and dropped down in front of the welcoming sea. She just lay there, thinking. She loved hearing the sound of the roaring ocean; the sound of drops pounding on rocks after a wave had just hit it. No one knew that. No one seemed to really know _her_. Yeah, they knew her as a limitless dumbass that had performed every stupid trick in the book, making up a few of her own in the process, but they didn't know why she did the things she did, or what she liked, _really_ liked. She loved the smell of jasmine and sandalwood. Her favorite flowers were lilies. That she could fall asleep to the sounds of the trains' whistle and oceans' lullaby. They didn't know that she would love to wear dresses and skirts, but just wore baggy clothes because she hated herself so much. They didn't know that she had once been in love, and had her heart smashed into bits because him. They didn't know that…that… she turned her head at the thought. That was still too fresh to be acknowledged yet. She would burst if she confronted it, the blatant truth that had almost killed her not once but twice. She wouldn't tell them about it either. She just couldn't.

She had become a loner and started having trouble opening up after her first master died. She'd been hurt so many times that she learned to lock her true emotions up and throw away the key. But when that box got too full it exploded two years ago. It had almost killed her.

She was adjusted to this life, but she still wanted one thing that she could never have: freedom. Yes, she was free here, but out in the real world, she was a slave. She was dirt, and not worth a penny in anyone's eye. She wanted to be able to run down a street and laugh and smile while hanging out with friends, eating ice cream or something. But she couldn't. If she did, then she would get the death penalty, automatically, no argument, she was gone. She hated being human. She was weak because of it. Because of her race and all its asinine thoughts and beliefs, hopes and dreams, and most of all feelings which have lead to nothing but trouble and disaster for her kind. Why couldn't she be more like Sesshoumaru, and not have these cumbersome feelings? He wasn't raised in a society that valued the emotions they experienced, and was lucky in that respect. Why did the gods curse her so? _'It has to be because I pissed them off at some point or another in a past life. That has to be it.'_

"Why do I have to be the trash that everybody steps on over and over because I'm too insignificant to even pick up and finally lay to rest in a trashcan somewhere? And why the hell am I making up shitty analogies to explain how I feel? Gods do I need some serious mental help."

* * *

Kagome had finally fallen into a restless sleep trying to think of ways to get Kesa and Sango to make up. Her rest was not a peaceful one, and she was plagued with nightmares.

**::Dream Sequence::**

A thirteen-year-old girl slowly walked into her masters' room, looking very much like a puppy with its tail between its legs. She knew what he wanted, and she wasn't looking forward to it.

"Come here," his smooth voice commanded.

The girl slowly walked toward his hungry gaze, which was currently roaming over her developing from.

"You are developing beautifully. I knew it had been a good investment buying you."

The girl only looked down blankly, tears brimming in her eyes. She knew what his next command would be, and she was terrified. She knew he could was well aware of her terror because he could smell it. And it only excited him further.

"Strip," he said merely, his word holding the tone of God.

"Yes Master…" the girl shakily replied, a tear unwillingly escaping her eye as she pulled off her shirt slowly. He thrived off of her fear and innocence, and the girl tried to hide it as much as she could which only angered him. But a beating was better than what he was about to do. Much better, and much more preferred.

He smiled wickedly when she had finally reached her bra and panties. His leer only grew when he saw salty droplets fall to the carpeted floor. He pushed himself up agonizingly slow, and walked unhurried to the shaking figure before him.

"You look exactly as Kikyo did at your age. Except your eyes. They are dead compared to hers, which are so full of hatred and evil." The devil himself smiled down at her hungrily, not even noticing the difference in eye color between the girl and Kikyo: she had expressive blue-gray eyes, while Kikyo had harsh brown ones.

Kagome remained silent as he reached down and pushed his hand into the small of her back, toward his bed. As they walked, his hand slid down a little farther into her underwear and grabbed her. Kagome stiffened, already figuring out that he was in a frisky mood, and since Kikyo was on some trip and they were into kinky things, she knew she was in for a really bad time. She knew that even though she would not be able to walk tomorrow, she would still have to do her chores. If she didn't, then he could turn her over to the authorities and have her killed. Or worse, be sent to an even more vicious master. The first one would have been her choice of the two, but the risk that the latter should happen (and probably would knowing Naraku) was enough to make her do what she was supposed to.

He quickly slammed her down on the bed, and began his fun.

**::End Dream Sequence::**

Kagome suddenly woke with a scream barely muffled by her better arm. It was enough to wake Sango though, and she quickly jumped up and started looking around. Her eyes then landed on Kagome, and her face quickly pulled an anxious expression.

"What is it? What happened?"

Kagome looked at her for one second before bursting into tears. Sango quickly pulled the pale and shaking girl in an embrace. She rocked her, whispered comforting nothings in her ear, smoothed her ruffled hair, and silently vowed to hurt the cause of this girls suffering. If Kesa was the one to do it, even she would be in for a beating and a half.

* * *

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side when he heard a muffled scream. Then his sensitive nose picked up on the scent of tears, and he was able to pinpoint it to Sangos' room. He quickly rose to go see what was going on, but Miroku reached over and shoved him back down.

Inuyasha glared as he explained his reasoning. "If they wanted to involve us, then they would have said something. Until then, we wait."

Inuyasha's glare followed him around the kitchen as he gathered all the necessary ingredients to make a sandwich.

"I'm amazed that you can actually make something yourself."

Miroku looked mock hurt. "I beg you pardon, but I think I know how to make a sandwich. It is eight o'clock, and since Kesa didn't cook dinner, I'm hungry and must fend for myself."

"And me. Make two of whatever you're making."

"Get off your lazy butt and make something then. You've done nothing but lounge since you got home."

"I'd like to see you throw up 100 pound sheetrock slabs for eight hours straight on a commercial construction site, after being everyone's pack-horse and carrying all the shit that two or three slaves couldn't handle, wearing a seventy pound tool belt to boot, then still have the energy to make a sandwich."

"You're the one who took that job. Something about helping you train…"

"Yeah. I have to get stronger, and not rely on my natural strength as a demon for everything. Becoming a carpenter helps because it's all physical labor, and I'm not sitting on my ass in some office all day."

"True, your ass may not expand to the point to where you can sell advertising space on it, but your knees will give out pretty fast."

"Thanks for the wonderful news. It's just what I wanted to hear," Inuyasha said, sarcasm dripping off his voice.

"My pleasure," Miroku responded smiling innocently.

After a few moments of Miroku slicing meat silently, Inuyasha brought up an old topic. "I wonder where Kesa's gotten to…"

"I have no idea. Maybe she's still out in the woods?" Miroku offered, handing a sandwich to Inuyasha, about to start on his own.

"Dunno. I don't think she would stay out there after dark though. How about when we're done here, you go look for her."

Miroku's shoulders slumped as he stared at Inuyasha, who was eating five times as fast as a normal person.

"Pig."

"No, dog. When will you finally realize what kind of demon I am?"

"When you start acting like it."

"Now I'm really not helping. I _was_ gonna sniff her out for you, but just for that comment…"

"Jackass…"

"DOG!"

* * *

"KESA?" A peeved Miroku was out walking around the mansion, flashlight in hand. Inuyasha had crashed on the couch in the living room, after oh-so-helpfully informing him that Kesa was somewhere outside, then falling dead asleep. Miroku was going to kill him later for that one, though it'd be easier to do the deed now since he was so deeply asleep he wouldn't even know what happened.

"KESA? WHERE ARE YOU? I hope she didn't run off again…" he muttered the last part to himself.

A groggy Kesa squeezed her eyes shut before opening them. Something was yelling, and it had woken her up from a nice dreamless sleep.

"Mmmm…dammiiit," she moaned, rolling over onto her side and curling up into a ball. It was fall after all, and it was chilly out.

"KESA?" The sound was getting closer, and Kesa stretched before weakly calling out, trying to regain her voice, "Over here!"

Miroku's head snapped in the direction of a faint call, and he sprinted towards the beach. There, he saw Kesa lying in front of the ocean, the sand next to her red from her blood.

"Oh god, Kesa! Did you try to kill yourself?!"

"Nope, not this time. I had a very close fight with a tree or two. I think they won, but only by a little."

"I need to get you into the house. You need to bandage those wounds."

"I'm not going. Just bring some stuff out to me and I'll be fine. And bring a blanket and a pillow as well, I want to sleep out here," Kesa asked, rolling into a sitting position and staring out into the horizon of the Sea of Japan.

"Oh yes you are coming. I'm not leaving you out here to freeze just because you're depressed."

"Why do you think I asked for a blanket? I'm not contemplating suicide, but I will if you keep it up!"

"Fine…I'll go get everything."

"Thank you," she answered, her gaze never wavering.

Miroku slowly walked around front, and sat on the front steps, placing his face in his hands. _'What a mess,'_ he glanced at his watch. _'I can't easily pick her up because she'll fight me. Maybe if I can hold out until Sesshoumaru comes home, then he can do it, since 'Yash isn't going to be much help. He should be home within a half hour. Though maybe if I don't show up with the things, she'll get pissed and come for them herself. You never know with her though. She's so stubborn that she would sit out there all night just to spite me. I wish Inuyasha were awake…'_

About 20 minutes later, almost as though his thoughts had called him, Sesshoumaru pulled up in his midnight blue Porsche 911 GT2 and quickly pulled in through the rapidly opening garage doors.

"Sesshoumaru!" Miroku quickly called after him, running to get in the doors before they closed.

He just barely made it before he was squashed and ran up to Sesshoumaru, who, as usual, ignored him.

"Sesshoumaru, I need your help," he panted, stopping in front of him to take a break and swallow his pride.

The subject in question raised an eyebrow, silently letting him know to go on.

"I need you to carry Kesa in here from the beach. She's injured, and being stubborn about it because she's having a fight with Sango and Kagome," he explained when he caught his breath.

Sesshoumaru looked at him flatly. "No."

"Please? She needs help," he ran after the now retreating man.

"Get my half-brother to do it."

"He's asleep on the couch. I can't budge him."

"That is not of my concern," Sesshoumaru countered, reaching the inside garage door and opening it.

Miroku resorted to his last idea, which he hoped worked like he thought it would.

"It would piss her off."

Sesshoumaru froze, and slowly turned around.

Encouraged, he continued. "She's being stubborn and doesn't want to come anywhere near here. If you brought her in it would severely piss her off, and she'll probably ignore you since she's pissed at you."

Sesshoumaru studied him a long moment, digesting this thought before replying.

"You have yourself a deal."

* * *

"Where in the bleeding hell is Miroku? I knew I shouldn't have trusted him…" Kesa grumbled, sitting up against a big rock. "Oh well, guess I'll have to freeze."

A few minutes later, just as she had started to drift off into sleep again, faint footsteps echoed through the empty night air. Keeping her eyes closed, she smiled, thinking it was Miroku.

"'Bout bloody time you got here. Could you move any slower?"

"Yes, but it is an extreme waste of time to do so."

Her eyes snapped open at that, and she swiftly turned around only to be face-to-knee with one person she was not to eager to deal with. _'Oh shit…'_

He smirked when she whirled around, knowing what was going through her mind. "Surprised?"

"No, not really. I didn't think he was gonna come back. At least he sent a doctor to _care_ for me. Might as well have sent a bloody banker for all the help I'll get."

"You're right," he sat down next to her, his scrubs still hard from blood.

A few moments later, "Who died?"

"And why would you ask that?" he questioned.

"All that blood. Someone must be hurt pretty bad if it's all from one person."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. This must have been her way of an apology for earlier, he supposed. At least she was being civil, which saved him from the major headache he was expecting.

"Not quite. Some drunken fool hit a young child and his mother a few hours ago. We worked on the child for hours, but he died. The mother also died about an hour ago. The driver unfortunately lived, despite my best efforts."

She smiled at that. "Good."

"And, pray tell, what is good about the death of an innocent child and its mother?"

"Not that, that's awful. The driver I mean. Now he has to live the rest of his life with this memory. It will torment him, and slowly tear him apart from the inside out so he feels the pain of those two poor souls yet he never dies. That's what I meant. He gets punished for what he did."

"Hmm, I've never looked at it like that," Sesshoumaru responded to her odd answer. She actually seemed at peace for now, and despite his passionate dislike for this human, he was actually enjoying just having a normal conversation with her. Now if only she were like this _all_ the time…

"You should think out of the box more. Try and see some light come forth from a tragedy. This _is_ a tragedy for someone, right?"

"Of course, I don't like losing patients anymore than the next doctor."

She softly smiled a sad smile. "Again, you misunderstand me. I was asking if a husband or child, mother or father is mourning right now, agonizing over the death of their loved one."

Sesshoumaru had to think for a moment on that one. "I don't know. I was too busy trying to save them. It's the nurse's job to inform the family."

"Well then maybe you should find out. Make sure that their arrangements will be taken care of. If there's no one else to do it, then how can they properly be lain down to rest?"

"That's what funeral services are for."

"What are their names?"

"What?"

"I want to know their names. I'll go to their funeral even if no one else does. Of course I'll have to drag your half-brother with me so I'm not killed on sight for being what I am, but I'll get there one way or another."

"I don't understand you. You don't even know them and you wish to meet them in death?"

"You don't understand a lot about me. Please, what are their names? I'll just say I saw it in the paper or that I once knew them or something."

Sesshoumaru studied her saddened features in the pale moonlight. She kept her eyes trained on the sand though, and never noticed him looking at her.

"Mitsukake Asako and her son, Tai."

"Thank you," she said softly, and looked him dead in the eye. He was surprised at the myriad of emotions he saw there. Sadness, loss, thankfulness, and most of all, trust. He had earned her trust with six little words.

She quickly looked away from his unblinking eyes and looked towards the heavens, resting her head on the rock behind her, staring at the stars. They sat there in a comfortable silence for a few more moments, each enjoying the brief moment of normality, before they went back to the loony bin that they called home.

Suddenly Sesshoumaru, who had been beginning to fall asleep to the calming sound of the ocean, stood up, remembering what his original task was. He quickly scooped her up into his arms bridal style, and readied himself for the piercing scream that was almost guaranteed to come. But it never did. Quite the opposite happened, and instead of pushing away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into the warmth of his chest.

"She's asleep…" he murmured to himself, half smiling at the innocent look on her face. _'Just like any other being on earth, she doesn't look like a complete menace in her sleep. Even though she's covered in dirt and blood and dried sweat she is still manages to be beautiful. For a human wench that is.'_ He added hurriedly, not liking where his train of thought was heading.

"Stupid bitch," he whispered as he began walking to the house, his precious cargo sleeping safe and sound.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Miroku jumped up when he heard the front door open.

He froze when he saw Kesa limp in his arms, and ran over to Sesshoumaru opening his mouth to speak. Sesshoumaru beat him and spoke first.

"The bitch is fine. She is only sleeping."

"Thank god. Everyone would go crazy if something happened."

"I do need to dress her wounds, for as you said earlier, she ripped up her knuckles pretty badly. If I were you I would put the electric collar on her that has the invisible fence so that she couldn't do this again."

"You would love that wouldn't you?"

"It would greatly amuse me, yes."

Miroku sighed and started following him to her bedroom.

"Get me some clean bandages and warm water with a damp cloth. And some disinfectant cream. I'll tell you if I need more later after I've fully assessed the injuries."

Miroku nodded and ran off to gather the things he asked for, knowing full well that at least two of the three things could easily be found in Sango's room. He didn't want to bother them, but he knew that they would want to know the situation, so he made his way to her room and quietly knocked on the door. A startled squeak cam from within and a distraught voice granted him entrance.

* * *

Kagome gave a startled squeak as someone knocked on the door. What if it was Kesa?

"Come in," Sango answered stonily for her, and Kagome wiped the last of the lingering tears from her face.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I need the basin and bandages," Miroku quickly explained, feeling like an intruder.

"What, did Inuyasha injure himself on the job?" Sango asked curtly, more angry than upset now.

"No, Kesa injured herself," he explained hurriedly, grabbing the basin and bandages and heading for the door.

"What? Did she try to kill herself? Is she ok?"

"No Sango, she's fine. She didn't try to kill herself, just her knuckles."

"What, did she pick a fight with some wild animal or something?" Sango asked heatedly, annoyed that he had scared her so much.

"Close, tree. If her knuckles account for anything, than I feel sorry for the poor tree."

Kagome giggled a little, and turned to Sango. "Go see how she is, and tell me what happens, ok?"

"Will you be ok alone?" she asked in her mother hen fashion.

"Yes, I'll be fine, all I have to do is holler if I need something. Go," she pleaded, and starting shooing Sango out of the bed.

"Fine, fine. But only for you," Sango smiled at her, and followed a worried Miroku out of the room.

'_How will those two react when they see each other?'_

* * *

Sesshoumaru paced the room, waiting for the materials he requested. _'Humans are so slow,'_ he thought impatiently. He wanted to get done, and go to bed. He had to be at the hospital for six in the morning, and he wanted to get _some_ sleep before then.

Finally, Miroku appeared five minutes later, another human wench in tow. _'Oh great, an audience,'_ he thought sarcastically.

"Here," Miroku handed Sesshoumaru the bandages and cream, and took the now full basin from Sango.

He nodded, and quickly used the rag to remove the blood from her hands, and the splatters that were in lines across her face. She had beaten those trees pretty hard for the blood to fly like that.

Her knuckles were severely bruised, battered, and scraped. A few were broken or fractured, but nothing serious and permanent if he set them right, that is.

She had slept through all of this, and only awoke when he touched the cool cloth to her face again to finish cleaning it.

"Wha…"

"I'm taking care of your knuckles. I'm also cleaning the blood off your face. Now lie still and stay silent."

"Yes master," she said, some of the sarcasm back in her voice.

Sesshoumaru ignored that comment verbally. _'She's back.'_

He finished and sent Miroku to get some splints for her hands from the extensive medical closet the family has on each floor since everyone in the house has a knack for getting injured. Kesa propped herself up into a sitting position, all the while keeping her eyes closed.

When he was finished he moved aside and turned to leave when a slap echoed throughout the room. Both Miroku and Sesshoumaru stared at Sango who had just slapped Kesa across the face. It was rapidly turning red in the shape of her hand, and Kesa had not yet moved her head from the position the force of the slap had placed her in. Her bangs covered her eyes, so it was impossible to tell what she was feeling.

"How dare you do that to me. I'm your friend! Do know how much you hurt me today? And then you go and do this. Is it all some kind of ploy for attention?"

Still not moving, Kesa replied. "If it was all a ploy for attention, then would I have gone off by myself for hours, or waltzed in all bloody screaming 'help me?' I did the former, meaning I wanted to be left alone. I would still be alone if Miroku hadn't sent Sesshoumaru to bring me in here."

"How do you know…?" Miroku asked in obvious confusion.

"How else would I have gotten here? I'm not stupid regardless of how I may act. Sesshoumaru was the last one out there, but I'm sure as hell he wouldn't have gone out there on his own. What'd you do? Promise him I'd be mad and ignore him if he brought me inside?"

Sesshoumaru looked at him sharply, and would have laughed at the expression on Miroku's face if he had been anyone else. But he was not, and the great Sesshoumaru did _not_ laugh. Period.

"Why couldn't you just let me be?"

"So you could do what? Sulk about how bad your life was? That you had a bitch for a master and you couldn't poison her? That you can't talk to me and tell me what's going on before you blow up in my face for no reason and with no provocation? I lost my brother, my father, everyone. I watched that bastard Naraku kill them all. Do you see me screaming all the time? And poor Kagome, she's living proof of his viciousness. Do you know what else he did to her? He raped her. He used her as a sex toy since she was 10. Does she try to kill herself right after she can move again? You don't have anything against Naraku personally, and you don't know the extent that he'll go to make others suffer!"

"The hell I don't! I said that Kikyo hired some goons to beat me to death. I lied. Why would she hire people to kill a slave? Her boyfriend did it. Her boyfriend was Naraku. She was going out with him while she was going with Inuyasha. I didn't know Yash well at the time, and by the time I did get to know him, Naraku was tired of his game and that's when Kikyo broke it off. She was giving Naraku information on him and the rest of you because she's his fucking bitch.

You think you're the only one that suffered because of him? He raped me too. Whenever Kikyo wasn't around, or she wasn't in the mood, which happened more than you think, he used me. He tied me to the damn bed and did all kinds of shit to me. Remember the scars on my back? Kikyo didn't whip me, Naraku did. It's why I bind my chest, so I don't have to see the scars and relive the memories. He did so much fucked up shit to me that if you heard about it you'd throw up. Luckily I was only with Kikyo around a year, and Naraku didn't begin his games until after I was there for a few months.

The last time he did it was when he knew 'Yash was going to buy me from Kikyo to get me out of there, and decided to leave me next to death to 'teach him a lesson about what happens when you care about a worthless slave too much.' He didn't tie me down that time. He took me to the alley 'Yash found me in and held me at knifepoint, and that's how I got this scar on my face; knife 'slipped' and slashed my face. He always wanted me to remember the power he had over me, that's why he cut me in a place I would see everyday if I managed to live. He beat me to within an inch of my life just like Kagome and left me to die just like her. They took Inuyasha's money and were going to give him a body in return. It's nice to know that you're worth more dead than alive to people. But are you happy now? Are you fucking happy to know that my life isn't perfect either?"

Sango stared at her in shock. "Why…why didn't you tell me this before…?"

"You think I'm going to admit to everyone 'Hey look at me! I'm a weak human, so I can be taken advantage of easily. The line starts here if you're interested.' I haven't even accepted it myself! I don't want to think about it, and I definitely don't want your pity. I'm lucky as hell I'm not mother to his child; it'd be a miracle if I could still bear children period. Son of a bitch could always tell if I was nearing my time of the month and just either beat me afterwards or found some other poor soul for the time being. He doesn't want any bastard children of his running about. It would reflect badly on him if he let a bunch of slave girls get pregnant. Slave girls that weren't his in the first place no less. You know I was so ashamed that I'd let all that happen to myself. I should have died rather than give him exactly what he wanted so many times. That monster deserves to be shot. He uses rape to prove his power over slaves, male and female, because nothing can be done to him legally. Why do you think I've become so obsessed with getting stronger and learning how to defend myself? I'm not going to let that happen ever again, to me or Kagome!" She stood up and tears streamed down her face. She pushed past the two shocked males of the room and stormed out the room.

Sango collapsed on the bed, and just stared at the wall, trying to take all this in.

"I'm going to bed," Sesshoumaru announced, as if his housemate of over two years had not just spilled out her biggest secret for the first time.

He was not acknowledged in the least as he glided gracefully out of the room, and disappeared down the hallway, his gut clenching at the thought of what Kesa had gone through at Naraku's hands. It sickened him, and he had to thoroughly squash the urge to find her and comfort her. _'She wouldn't want me help her. I don't want to anyway, what am I thinking? It's amazing though how every single person in this house is connected to Naraku in some way. He has obviously been a busy little son-of-a-bitch now hasn't he?'_

**Again, I edited. Woot.**

**Ja**


	8. May I Have This Dance?

:**A Slaves Love:  
**_By: Kagura-hime_

_Summery_: In a world where humans are slaves to youkai, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her and heals her wounds. But can he mend her broken heart too? I/K Miroku/Sango, Sess/OC

_Disclaimer_: I just spent my last five bucks on Raisinets at the movie theater. So go ahead and sue-all you'll get after paying your huge legal fees is an empty Raisinet box. I'll even fill it with tissues so you have something to cry into after you realize you wasted a ton of money for absolutely nothing.

_Notes_: I added a TON to this chapter, mostly to Kagome and Inuyasha's scenes. Inuyasha explains Sango and Miroku's origins along with a lot more details about his own history. Now that I finally fully figured out their roots I have a lot of ideas for the next few chapters, so expect to see that information again. Oh, and if you haven't noticed from earlier editings, Miroku is no longer an actual monk. I realized my mistake there.

All I have left to say is...I hope you enjoy.

**:A Slaves Love:  
**Chapter 7: May I Have This Dance?

**Last time**- "I'm going to bed," Sesshoumaru announced, as if his housemate of over two years had not just spilled out her biggest secret for the first time.

He was not acknowledged in the least as he glided gracefully out of the room, and disappeared down the hallway, his gut clenching at the thought of what Kesa had gone through at Naraku's hands. It sickened him, and he had to thoroughly squash the urge to find her and comfort her. _'She wouldn't want me help her. I don't want to anyway, what am I thinking? It's amazing though how every single person in this house is connected to Naraku in some way. He has obviously been a busy little son-of-a-bitch now hasn't he?'_

**This time**- Inuyasha awoke with a start as he heard the door to the library slam shut and lock down the hall. _'Who the hell is that?'_ he took a few deep whiffs since he was still groggy, and got the strong smell of Kesa. And judging by the dominating scent of anger and tears, she had just confronted Sango. _'I can finally find out what in hell is going on.'_

Inuyasha threw off his blanket, padded out the door and down the hall softly. He stopped in front of the closed door, wondering if she would hurl something at him if he didn't knock. He decided to play it safe and do as his gut told him so he didn't get massacred. When he had received no answer, he knocked harder this time, restraining from calling out to her. When the sudden sound of tearing flesh reached his cute ears, and the overpowering stench of blood reached his nostrils, he pounded the locked door down, only to find Kesa sitting in the middle of the floor, her legs folded neatly next to her, her life's liquid spilling freely from her slashed left wrist.

He swiftly ran toward her before she could hurriedly do the other, and ripped the kitchen knife from her grasp. Tears were silently flowing down her cheeks, and the suicide note she had scribbled was lying next to her, her final signature being her blood. She fought Inuyasha tooth and nail to get the knife back, screaming about how he shouldn't have interfered.

"What the fuck do you think your doing? Give it back to me! Let me go and let me finish! It's for the best! LET ME GO DAMN YOU!"

Inuyasha just realized that her struggling had increased the flow of blood, meaning that she didn't have to cut her other wrist to bleed out. She'd cut herself deeply enough that if he didn't do something she'd die. He quickly wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, pinning her arms to her sides fiercely, his right hand putting pressure on her wrist.

"I think I'm saving you life," Inuyasha finally replied softly in her ear.

Her struggling ceased a little, but she still twisted violently every now and then, before breaking out into sobs. He finally felt safe letting her go so he could give stop the bleeding and save her. But as he was ripping cloth from his shirt to wrap around her wrist for direct pressure, she bolted out the door, running down the hall toward the kitchen.

"Shit!" Inuyasha ran after her to stop her before she could do anymore damage. Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders and spun her around so that she faced him, opening his mouth to yell at her for what a stupid ditz she was being, when suddenly she was ripped from his grasp, twirled around, and firmly backhanded across the face; the result of which was her landing hard on the floor.

"What the hell?! Sesshoumaru, why are you here?"

Sesshoumaru just ignored Inuyasha and glared down at the disturbance keeping him from his precious sleep. "I just bandaged your wounds not ten minutes ago. Must you always get into trouble?"

Kesa stared at him in shock (and rubbed her sore, rapidly swelling right cheek) from the floor as he took the strip of cloth dangling limp from Inuyashas' hand, and picked her up by her collar to gently push her against the wall to keep her upright on her own two feet, and to help stop any more escape tactics. He expertly wrapped the piece of Inuyasha's shirt around Kesa's wrist and held the rapidly reddening cloth tightly while holding her arm above her heart once she was stably against the wall. But by now, the adrenaline of the escape wore off, and she felt exceedingly light headed. She clutched her head loosely with her uninjured hand as lights danced a merry waltz in front of her eyes, before placing it on Sesshoumaru's chest to keep herself balanced and upright. Her knees went weak, and before she knew it, she had collapsed into someone's waiting arms.

"Sess…Sesshoumaru…"

* * *

Inuyasha burst into Kesa's room, startling the wits out of Sango and Miroku. Miroku had been holding Sango in a gentle embrace while soothingly rubbing her back before Inuyasha had rudely interrupted. They jumped apart and stared at him like he was some depraved madman, covered in blood.

"So he's finally awoken," Miroku commented dryly, not sounding the least bit interested as to why he looked like an axe murderer.

"Don't tell me, you're practicing Halloween costumes and you're trying to imitate Sesshoumaru or you've just become lazy in picking costumes and took the easy way out. I like the look, but it's not too original fyi," Sango put her two cents in without any real interest, until a sudden breeze ruffled her hair and she gasp when she looked over and saw a mass of red being carried by a now slightly bloody Sesshoumaru.

"Where are the medical supplies from earlier?" He asked calmly to a speechless Sango.

"Wh-wh-wh-"

"Just do as I say if you want her to live," he said impatiently, surprised at the emotion building up inside him. It felt like he actually _cared_ if the girl lived or died. _'Impossible,'_ he scoffed. _'Did this mere slip of an annoying, obviously unstable wench manage to get to me? No…it's just my passion for medicine kicking in. That's all. Damn career. Damn impulses.'_

Sango nodded and quickly led him to the large medicine cabinet on that floor. He pointed to a few things verbally, Sango gathered them silently into her arms, and followed him into one of the bathrooms. Sesshoumaru quickly set her down in the tub, and washed all the blood away from her wrist with a damp cloth, so he could see the rate at which she was bleeding. Luckily, he had managed to slow the flow of blood before it became fatal, but she was still in critical condition. There was a sluggish stream of liquid trickling from the gash, clashing horribly with the paleness of her ice-cold skin. Thank the gods she had been upset and not done it the correct way: she had made several deep gashes horizontally and not one long vertical one. _'If she _had_ done it correctly, she would have been dead minutes ago.'_

He was sure since she was trained in medicine that she would know which direction to do it, which led him to believe that it was a heat of the moment thing and that her subconscious had probably tried to save her. That was the case with many suicide victims, but it didn't always turn out the happily-ever-after everyone hoped for.

While thinking all this, he had lifted her arm up and put it on the rim of the tub, then placed a sterile dressing and bandage on the wound, applying direct pressure and elevation again. He hoped they wouldn't need blood for her since that was one thing they didn't keep in.

Her breathing was shallow and her face whiter than the full moon on a clear night. But she would hang in there. Her spirit was too fiery for her to die. It would never allow the Reaper to take her.

Sango stared down at Kesa's prone form, watching Sesshoumaru work as tears ran down her face. _'Fool…'_

* * *

Sesshoumaru re-bandaged up the girls' wrist tightly with a clean dressing. A few splotches of red appeared on the snow-white gauze. _'She's lost a lot of blood. She'll be anemic for a while, but she should live. When she's more stable, I should probably take her to the hospital for tests just to be sure. Her cheek will help with a cover story. Now if I bring her in looking like this everyone will finally get off my ass about how I never bring in battered slaves-if I even batter them that is. Those fools are supposed to heal, and heal they do-demons only that is. Humans they beat until their hearts content. Great medical practitioners they are.'_ He looked at the large black and blue bruise in the general shape of his hand on her face and felt a pang of guilt before immediately repressing it. _'I didn't even hit her hard. Humans are so fragile.'_

-"Hey look at me! I'm a weak human, so I can be taken advantage of easily. The line starts here if you're interested." -

Her words from earlier ran through his mind, and he quickly shook the thought from his brain, wanting to concentrate on the task at hand. _'This wench is much more complicated than I had originally thought.'_

* * *

Inuyasha had changed out of his bloody clothes and was now walking down the hall to Sango's room. He wanted to see Kagome, and find out how she progressing in her healing.

When he reached the door, he could tell by her scent that she was sleeping. He paused at the threshold, not sure if he should disturb her or not. But he figured that she would want to know the current events so he knocked quietly, half-hoping he wouldn't disturb her slumber. He could smell her body attempting to rouse, reacting slightly to the noise, but her mind paid no attention to her body's pleas. Meaning that she didn't budge an inch. _'Damn she's out like a rock,'_ Inuyasha thought, half surprised and half amused. '_I thought that she would have been up like a shot since she had been a slave for so long.'_

He tried again, except louder this time. He even ventured to call her name softly.

"Mmm…be right there…"

Inuyasha let out a snort of laughter, the urge to smile fading rapidly when he remembered that Naraku would have beat her senseless if she hadn't jumped right up the second he knocked the first time, let alone sleep right through his orders without budging. Hell, he probably would have beat her for not being awake, dressed and ready to roll before he even knocked, even though it was the middle of the night knowing him. Inuyasha shivered involuntarily at the mere thought of what he would do to her. _'She's safe now. There's no need to worry about what'd he would do or wouldn't do because he'll never get his hands on her again.'_

"Kagome, it's 'Yash. Can I come in?"

"Mmmhmmm," she grumbled wordlessly as Inuyasha smiled and shook his head, opening the door. _'She acts just like me in the mornings.'_

He looked at her half-asleep form, moonlight flowing in from the wide windows over the bed threw eerie shadows on her body. They danced and frolicked gaily over her slumbering form due to a stray tree limb that was being bullied mercilessly by the wind sprawled across the window. _'She's healing relatively quickly since she doesn't seem to be in pain right now,'_ he thought when he saw the odd angle she was sleeping in. He studied her face for a silent heartbeat. _'All of the minor cuts and bruises have healed. The major bruises still have a few more colors to turn before they disappear completely, but at least all the swelling has gone down. The gashes are mostly closed but sadly they'll add to scars she previously had. Her sprains are almost gone, her hands have healed and the broken bones should be almost completely healed within another month or two. The ribs might take longer, it depends on if she keeps up this rate of healing or not. That cut Kesa made on her neck took 3 stitches to close up. Thank god she can close wounds as well as she can open them. Her and Sango did a really good job making sure it didn't scar; there's only a faint line that will completely fade with more time.'_

"Is it morning yet?" Her groggy voice came muffled through the sheet she was under.

"Not quite yet-you still have a few more hours until sunrise."

"Aww, then why did you wake me up Inuyasha? You know I don't function well until the later hours of the morning," she teased, stiffly and carefully pulling herself up into a normal sitting position.

Inuyasha smiled when he saw her smiling face. "I know, you're exactly like me- it's almost creepy. But I figured you would want to know everything that's going on right now and not wait until morning to find out."

The smile vanished instantly from her now-awake face. "Oh-no. Is it Sango and Kesa? What's happened? Are they okay? Is the fight resolved, or did it get worse?"

Inuyasha quickly interrupted her panicked questions to start explaining everything. "You obviously know that Sango and Kesa had a fight. I have no idea what it was about, or how it got started, but I'm sure I'll find out sooner or later. Anyway, Kesa went to the dojo to blow off some steam, then went to the woods and busted up her knuckles hitting some trees-"

He was interrupted by Kagome at this point. "I know all of that already. It isn't anything new. What's so bad about that?"

"You should learn more patience- I wasn't finished my story yet. Anyway, she stayed out on the beach for a few more hours, before Miroku sent Sesshoumaru to bring her in. Then about ten minutes after Sesshoumaru bandaged up her knuckles, she went into the library and tried to kill herself using a kitchen knife. She sliced pretty deeply and lost a lot of blood. I woke up when I heard her slam the library door, and was able to stop her before she cut her right wrist. She's with Sesshoumaru now. That's all I know."

"How could she do that? She never seemed the type…" Kagome stared at the floor in shock, her disbelief almost convincing her that Kesa hadn't ripped open her skin with the intention of dying.

"She isn't. At least, she hasn't been it in two years." At Kagome's questioning look, he sighed and continued. "When I first found her, she was a mess; about as bad as you were, if not worse. The wounds from her last beating were a little older than yours were though, and we almost didn't save her. Sesshoumaru actually had to step in because it was beyond Sango's skill.

Moving on, it had taken her the better part of two months before she was able to really more again. Granted, she had to live in a wheelchair because her femur was broken, but at least she wasn't going insane in bed all day. As soon as she had graduated to crutches though, she snuck downstairs one night, and tried to kill herself using pills, since they're quick, quiet, and clean. Of course, Sesshoumaru and I realized before she had taken too many and were able to stop her, but it was still horrible. She cried and pleaded with us to let her finish the job because she had nothing to live for: no home, no freedom, no friends, and basically no life. She had no desire to live at all then. She didn't trust us one bit, and she had no reason to. She'd been betrayed, abused, and had watched fellow humans die needlessly over stupid things, knowing she could be next and no one would ever care or mourn her passing. So why after all that would she trust anyone now, especially demons? She thought we were just trying to fool her, heal her so she could become a slave again for us. She wanted no part of it, and would rather have died than go back to that life.

It took the better part of a year before we earned any of her trust, and it took a hell of an effort on our part to get it that fast. But once we had it, we never betrayed her, so she's less tight-assed now; but it seems recently she's been forced to open up faster than she was ready to and now we have an encore performance of that night two years ago.

She's still usually cautious around new people. I'm surprised she took to you so quickly, but maybe it's only because you reminded her of herself when we took her in, and she doesn't want you to travel the same path she did. I dunno, I never really got her. There's still a lot I don't know about her; even Sango barely knows more than I do. She acts all happy and carefree most of the time but I think it's all a cover and that underneath she's really suffering," Inuyasha finished quietly, looking at Kagome to see her reaction.

"I hope that one day she does fully let go of the past and just lives freely. I would love to see that day, but I doubt I'll still be here for it," Kagome closed her eyes sadly, Inuyasha staring at her in shock.

"Now what in hell would give you that impression?"

Kagome opened her eyes, but didn't look at Inuyasha's face, just his neck. "Naraku will come for me-I know it. He dumped me off hoping I'd get used and abused by the lowlifes of that district. His scent was all over me, so all the demons knew I was his, and that if they took me and tried to hide me, he would kill them. The rule is if you dump a slave, and you don't leave your scent behind, meaning you have a human leave the slave so that the demon scent is older, then the other demons know you're not wanted, and they can do as they please with you with no repercussions. If the scent is fresh, then that means the master wants the slave to be taught a lesson, the lesson being: "Be glad that you're with me, and you don't have to go through this everyday. Now maybe you'll show me the respect I deserve." But, the slave isn't to be taken from the spot where they were left. Everyone there knows Naraku's scent, and follows the rules. The last demon that tried to steal one of his slaves died a very violent and gruesome death.

He made damn sure that his scent was all over me because he wanted me back, just with a new attitude, that's all. You broke that understood agreement. You took me from that spot and now he'll be hunting me. He'll want me back, and he won't care who he has to kill to get me. He doesn't like his things being stolen from him, worthless slave or not. I don't want anything to happen to you guys, so you should just take me back to him, saying you weren't from the area and found me, and that you didn't know to leave me there. Tell him I told you his name to return me. He might even give you a reward," She smiled with no humor, only sarcasm.

"There is no way in hell I'm giving you back to that bastard, ever! I'll kill him if I have to but he'll never get his hands on you again!"

"That would make a lot of people happy you know," Kagome told him, a bit shocked that he had reacted so strongly towards the idea. "I just don't want anyone here to get hurt over me."

Inuyasha hooked his finger under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "Don't worry Kagome, nothing will happen to us. Besides, he's had this coming. I've wanted to kill him for a long time, and you've just put the final nail in his coffin for me. He will die, don't you worry."

"But he's strong and he never plays by the rules-"

"Yeah, I know. I've learned the hard way how he operates. But I can handle him. So can everyone else in this house. Kesa can fight pretty damn well for a human and Miroku is very strong. He was a slave at a Buddhist temple only a few hundred miles from here and learned how to fight and channel some of his spiritual energy. Once they learned he was getting stronger the demon monks chased him out before he got too powerful. I found him almost dead from exhaustion in the mountains when I was hiking one day several years back and brought him here.

I found out later from…" Inuyasha paused, not wanting to tell Kagome he had found out from Kikyo, the old love of his life. "From my ex-girlfriend that his grandfather was Naraku's slave way back when Miroku was a baby and had royally pissed him off. He had apparently gotten tired of being hit and hit him back one time. His grandfather was obviously killed. But his dad had figured Naraku's wrath wouldn't end with one death for that offense and managed to smuggle Miroku out and to the temple he was raised at before Naraku killed his father too. Naraku never found out where Miroku went otherwise he wouldn't be here now. Even if his training's incomplete he's still a good asset to have.

And Sango? She comes from a long line of demon-slayers and was trained in combat all her life before our dear friend Naraku finally dredged up a small army and slaughtered the small band of the only free humans besides priestesses. They resided on a very small island off the coast in the Sea of Japan and were left alone because they were amusement for demons. They went there to fight the slayers to test their own strength. Naraku decided he didn't like any humans being free, even though they didn't bother anybody, and decided to do something about it. She watched him kill her father and brother and only managed to escape with her life because she was injured and hid in a pile of dead bodies to mask her scent. She was the only one left alive. They even killed her pet demon cat Kirara for trying to protect the humans. You've seen the bone boomerang hanging in Kesa's room right? It's Sango's. She took it with her, along with a few mementos when she left the island after burying the remains of her family and friends. She was in a boat for a week and had run out of food when she finally landed about a mile down the beach about seven or eight years ago. She was just a child then."

Inuyasha took in a deep breath and jerked back slightly when he looked up and saw tears silently streaming down Kagome's face. She was sick at heart hearing about how Naraku's cruelty seemed to reach people everywhere. He hadn't wanted to upset her even more, let alone make her cry but it seemed he had failed at that miserably. He gently wiped the tears from her face and smiled dimly. He then picked up her hand and laced his fingers through hers, squeezing lightly. She faintly smiled in return and squeezed back. Inuyasha continued, trying to lighten the mood.

"Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, we've got Sesshoumaru. _He_ can kick anyone's ass in a heartbeat, including mine," Inuyasha grumbled the last part, and Kagome laughed lightly. "He could easily kick Naraku's ass, don't you worry about that. He's one thing that will hold him off from coming here for a while if he somehow finds out that you're with us. Sesshoumaru's track record of battles is flawless, he hasn't lost yet. All his opponents have either surrendered or died. It's ironic he's a doctor since he's the perfect killer. His reputation is known far and wide, and most demons fear him. I'm sure Naraku knows this, and is probably more than a little scared of what he's capable of himself. That's what you get for being over 800 years old I guess."

Kagome's mouth dropped. "He's over 800 years old? Wow…I never would have guessed. He only looks 21 at the oldest. How old does that make you then?"

Inuyasha fidgeted a bit. "Well, it's not that important…"

"Please tell me? I won't laugh or anything. Please?"

Inuyasha sighed in defeat. The change in topic seemed to be cheering her up since she wasn't crying anymore. She started giving him the best puppy-dog eyes she could when he didn't answer her right away and he broke. She was just too cute when she did that! "Dammit. Fine. I'm 423. Happy now?" Inuyasha looked away unhappily.

"See, that wasn't so hard. I'll never live to see that age though. Not even close. I'll be lucky if I hit 30 at this rate. How long do demons normally live anyway?" Kagome tilted her head in genuine curiosity.

Inuyasha looked at her eyes, searching for the disgust he thought would come. Why would she want someone who had been around long enough to know her distant ancestors? But there wasn't any; only curiosity, which was a welcome surprise. "Well, there are only myths about how long demons really live because of the slavery they were once in never let them live that long. Full demons are believed to live to be around 4000 years old, and half-demons like me, rare and hated as we, are probably live to about 2000 logically. Half-demons are usually killed before a true number can be known. Some demons have been reported to have lived until they are six or even seven thousand years old. It's rare and probably exaggerated but anything's possible."

"You're a half-demon?" Kagome asked incredulous.

Inuyasha looked away from her. "Yeah. Sesshoumaru's mom died giving birth to him since technology back then wasn't all that amazing. A few hundred years later my dad fell in love with a slave. He couldn't marry her because of the law, but they lived like a married couple. It was because of her he stopped having slaves and started living like we do today. Sesshoumaru was against it in the beginning and wanted to fight our father but ended up never doing it and eventually gave into the way of life because he grew to like it. He found that you could get more out of a person treated well than a person who was abused. He's grown much softer about it in his old age I think, but he'll kill me if he hears me say that, so that's between you and me," Inuyasha smiled at Kagome's laugh. _'Wow she has a pretty laugh. I wish she would do it more often.'_

"Anyway, I was born and spurned by demons just for being what I am. Sesshoumaru hated me because I was a stain on his perfect family name. The black sheep. It's faded now into a severe case of sibling rivalry, but it's still there nonetheless. Once other demons found out about me though they came to investigate my father and he had to act like a cruel master that hadn't been careful enough when having a bit of fun with one of his 'slave wenches.' After he was out of the limelight and the inspectors just brushed it off as carelessness everything went back to normal. My mother died when I was still a very young child at about 70 years old I'm told. My father died when I was around 175 of old age."

"'Yash, I'm so sorry. I never realized…"

Inuyasha smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. It's all in the past. I'm just living the present day by day now. Don't worry about it."

Kagome nodded and smiled. "That's all so amazing though. Humans are lucky if they live to be thirty or forty in this day and age. We could probably live longer just like your mom if we were in better circumstances. If we were healthy, and weren't abused, we could probably live _another_ thirty or forty years easily. But of course it'll never happen. According to demons, this treatment keeps the population down so that fewer resources are used." The sarcasm dripping from her tone was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

"That's ridiculous! Yes, the world needs population control, but abuse and murder aren't the answer! Just as many demons should die for every human that does. They should limit the number of children you can have. Something other than slavery dammit. It's just not fucking right," Inuyasha finished quietly.

Kagome squeezed Inuyasha's hand and replied, "_I_ know this, and _you_ know this. Heck, even Sesshoumaru knows this. But that doesn't mean the world realizes this, and I don't think it ever will. Demons have become so accustomed to having slaves and humans have become so accustomed to being slaves that equality can never be reached. Demons live long lives obviously, and aren't likely to forget all this mess within a few generations like humans would. There will always be prejudice, fear, hatred, and abuse between these two groups. Is it wrong? Yes, but that doesn't mean it will go away because it's not morally correct. It's a vicious cycle that won't break anytime soon," she finished sadly.

Inuyasha gently placed his free hand on top of their joined ones for a moment before withdrawing and standing with his back to her. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to be mad?"

"Cross my heart. Look at what you just told me. You can tell me anything 'Yash."

The way she said his name so gently, so lovingly tugged at his heartstrings. He'd never heard someone talk to him with that tone before, and it pained him knowing he was about to hurt her with what he was about to tell her. "You've heard the story about how humans became imprisoned after being the imprisoners, correct?"

"Of course I have. How one young dog-demon managed to organize the rest of the demon slaves in his household into a successful rebellion, and leading other households to follow suit until the humans surrendered. What of it?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"Well, that one young dog-demon that started it all, that caused the world to be as it is now…he was my father."

* * *

A teary-eyed Sango knocked on the door to Miroku's room after Sesshoumaru told her to scram. Not in those exact words of course, but that was still the general idea. It was either because she was so upset she wasn't helping him any, and her constant crying annoyed him, or that he decided it would be better for her to rest and get some much needed sleep to calm her rattled nerves. After barely a second of consideration, she deduced that it absolutely, positively, without a doubt…was the former. Which was of course a bit depressing since it only proved, yet again, that no one gave a hoot about her feelings, only their own.

Miroku answered the door, his jaw dropping to the ground when he saw who it was. "Sango-chan! You've never come willingly and of your own accord to my room before. What finally caused this bout of good fortune? Is it that you need some of my…comfort?"

"Stuff it back in your pants Miroku, I'm not in the mood for jokes, or any of the 'comfort' you're talking about."

Miroku nodded, his cheery façade slipping off, and backed away from the door to allow her entrance.

She cautiously slid by him in case he decided to try anything funny. Surprisingly, he kept his usually roaming hands to himself. Obviously, he was just as upset by the nights' events as she was.

Sango stopped in the middle of his bedroom, which was generally the same as hers was, except that his had a different color scheme-dark purple and black, the colors of a monk's robes. It went to show how much he really wished he could be a full-fledged monk and show his devotion to Buddha, which Sango thought was admirable and kind of ironic considering his incurable lecherousness.

She looked down and sighed, tears threatening to overwhelm her again. _'Why did she do it? Is life here with us really so unbearable?'_

"Sango…" Miroku trailed off as he saw the slight shaking of her shoulders, and heard her trying to repress sobs.

He said nothing as he walked over and enveloped her in a gentle embrace, pressing her head into his muscular chest. She wrapped her slim arms around his waist and clutched his shirt as she let go and cried her heart out, tears stinging at his own eyes because of her distress.

They stood there like that, gently wrapped up in each others comforting arms, not caring about anything else that went on, for what seemed like forever before Sango finally pulled away, blushing to her toes.

Miroku smiled at her, genuinely smiled, before walking over to his stereo system and turning on some slow jazz. "Would you care to dance Sango?"

"_What_?"

Miroku laughed at the absolutely shocked look on her face. "I find that dancing can be a very relaxing activity with the right music. Obviously, rock and metal get the blood pumping, which isn't very relaxing at all. Rap and hip-hop bring about more of a jittery mood, and country, well, let's just not touch that one." Sango giggled as Miroku smiled and continued.

"So that leaves us a few options: classical is good if you want to waltz, and instrumental I reserve for meditation. Then, there are the ever-popular love songs people dream will become a reality in their loveless lives. Surprisingly, I too am intrigued by the lore they hold, but I'm sure you would never want to dance to a sappy love song since you're not on a date. That leaves good ol' jazz, and not the Big Band jazz, the slow tranquil stuff. It's neutral in the romance department, but it's still easy to slow dance to.

So the final thing I have to say is: May I have this dance?"

"But what about…everything?"

Miroku sighed. "I just asked because I thought it would cheer you up. I can't stand to see you so upset."

Sango thought for only a moment before smiling crookedly. "Of course you can have this dance. Just keep the hands above the hips and below the bust, huh?"

"I would never dream of doing anything of the sort my dear lady."

"I'm sure," Sango remarked dryly, rolling her eyes as she took his hand.

Miroku carefully placed his hands exactly were they were supposed to go, and they never once moved or twitched in the wrong direction. They danced and danced to the entire CD of 'Jazz for a Rainy Afternoon' twice. Translation: they danced for almost two full hours with nary an incident.

* * *

Sesshoumaru checked Kesa's pulse once more, finding that she wasn't that far off from being normal again, but it wasn't that close either. He sighed in relief. He didn't know why, but the fact that she lived, and would most likely be without long-term damage gave him a slightly elated feeling. He tried to repress it, push it back to whatever hellhole it originated in, but that didn't work so well, so he just ignored it in the typical Sesshoumaru fashion. Or tried to anyway.

Whilst in the land of denial, he leaned back against the wall, facing the girl lying in the bathtub, feeling fatigue set in. _'This is what happens when you don't sleep for weeks. Even a nap somewhere in there would have helped me. Damn my work-a-holic ways. Just because I'm demon doesn't always mean I'm god. Even demons need sleep every once in a while. And if it wasn't for this wench I would have had it too god dammit.'_

As he drifted off into a light sleep, he did something he never would have done if he had been fully conscious; he picked up Kesa's left hand that was resting on the rim of the tub and placed his right under it palm up and stroked the tops of her knuckles of his thumb. Then he muttered his last words of consciousness aloud, for whatever reason. "Hmm…saved another one…twice no less."

And right before he finally fell off the face of the cognizant world, he could have sworn he heard her voice reply just as sleepily, "Just another notch for your dashboard."

* * *

Kagome stared at Inuyasha for a tense moment of silence. "He, uh, you…_what_?"

Inuyasha stared at Kagome's shocked face, wishing to Buddha he hadn't just told her that it was his father that made her a slave. _'What the hell was I thinking telling her that? She'll hate me for sure now. I'm such a fucking idiot.'_

"Well, Kagome, he, uh…" For the first time in his life, Inuyasha didn't have an answer of some sort. Right, wrong, smartass or idiotic, he usually had a comeback for anything. But this, it stumped him. He didn't want to anger her, nor did he want her to hate him.

While the cogs of Inuyasha's brain churned furiously, Kagome gathered her wits about her. "Inuyasha."

Said man's head whipped up hopefully, fingers crossed that the next words out of her mouth were good ones.

"I don't care."

"Are you crazy? How can you say that? It's because of my family that you were beaten and abused. How can it not matter to you?" Inuyasha quickly shut his mouth after realizing what he said. _'How the hell could I say that? I'm trying to think of ways to keep her from hating me, and what do I do? I question her sanity when she says she doesn't care. Smart move Sherlock. Damn it!'_

Kagome laughed gently. "It's not your fault. You weren't even around or thought of when that all happened. You couldn't have been. I doubt your father would have attempted the rebellion if he had a child because if he had been caught, Sesshoumaru if he was around would have been killed on the spot as punishment right before his eyes. But even if you did have something to do with the rebellion, I understand perfectly why you would have. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't wish a rebellion would pop up that I could join and escape that monster. I don't blame your father in the least bit. The fact that he changed and had you with a human that he loved is wonderful. It shows the world can change, slowly but surely. The humans that enslaved demons had it coming. I just wish that they would be the bigger species end all of this nonsense after the debt had been paid."

Inuyasha stared at her second head, fascinated beyond belief at the tricks it was performing. "So…it doesn't matter?"

Kagome smiled, "Not in the least bit. I was just a little shocked at the odd coincidence of meeting the son of the demon that started it all."

Inuyasha let out a relieved sigh and smiled at Kagome. "Just so you know, Sesshoumaru came afterwards, when dad was free to marry who he wanted. His mom was dads' first great love. So, um, now that _that's_ all cleared up, what do you want to talk about?"

"Anything. But preferably something happy."

"Heh, I think that can be arranged."

Kagome moved over and patted the empty space on the bed next to her invitingly. Inuyasha smiled and sat down, draping his arm across her shoulders, expecting to be pushed away. Kagome shocked him by cuddling up to him as best she could, giving Inuyasha the biggest grin he'd had in a long while. And so, wrapped up together, they fell into a cheerful conversation for the next few hours.

* * *

Sesshoumaru awoke with a jolt around 5 o'clock. "Shit!" he cursed, glancing at his blood caked watch. "I'm fucking late." He looked down at Kesa's slightly shifting form, wondering why his right arm was inside the tub at the same time. _'Damn you. This is the first time I'll ever be late. This won't look good on my record, unless…'_

A predatory smile flittered across his face for a moment. "You'll come in handy after all I guess. Wake up," He gently shook her. He knew that he shouldn't startle her awake because of the trauma her body had already undergone, it would just make things worse. So he ignored all of his desires to shake the life out of her (ironic since he just saved her life) and instead concentrated on light pats, taps, and shakes.

Groggily, after a few minutes of Sesshoumaru's iron patience never wearing thin, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly before slowly opening them. Her vision was fuzzy for a moment, and she waited for her eyes to adjust. '_Since when did my bed get so cold and hard?'_ floated through her mind when she gathered some of her bearings.

She lifted her head up quickly, only to become dizzy and lightheaded. "Oh shit. What's all this? And why the hell is my cheek so sore?" She asked aloud when she saw her bandaged wrist after lifting it to grab her spinning head.

"You tried to kill yourself by slitting your wrist last night. The mutt managed to stop you before you were able to do both. And your cheek is sore because I backhanded you across the face when I realized what you had done."

"I did _what_? Ok, I vaguely remember it. Jesus…why the fuck would I do something so stupid?"

"Why ask me? How should I know what idiotic thoughts were running through that brain of yours?" Sesshoumaru asked, realizing too late that he had opened himself up for her smartass remark.

"Uh, remember that little trait you have? The one where you can read people's thoughts? You're telepathic. But no matter. That was more of a rhetorical question anyway. Plus I was talking to myself, so there's a double reason I never really expected an answer." She crinkled her eyebrows for a moment before continuing. "Man, you must really be tired if you left yourself wide open for my comeback. When's the last time you slept? Because even though you're a demon-"

"I need sleep every now and then," he finished, knowing this phrase by heart. "And I just woke up a few minutes ago."

Kesa rolled her eyes. "I mean before tonight."

He kept his mouth shut for a moment, not knowing how she would react to him saying he hadn't slept a wink in over a month. She would either laugh at him and let him know in no uncertain terms what a complete fucking idiot he was being, or…he couldn't think of anything this wench would do but insult him, so he just gave in and told her before she started bugging him about it.

"About four and a half weeks ago."

"Are you nuts? Over a month? You can't push your body like that. I mean, three weeks, sure, no problem for a demon. But almost five? What are you trying to do, kill yourself from exhaustion? Plus you're an E.R. doctor, and you need to be awake and alert because lives depend on it. You of all people should know what sleep deprivation can do to your body, so why haven't you slept?"

Sesshoumaru looked at the genuine concern in her face, surprised and slightly skeptical. "Why do you act like you care? Aren't you always telling me I should drop dead?"

Kesa's shoulders sagged a bit, whether from anemia or guilt Sesshoumaru would never know. "I don't mean what I say. You just annoy the hell out of me sometimes, and when I'm upset I say a lot of things I don't mean. I don't want you to drop dead. Not literally at least." Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow at that, but Kesa pretended not to notice and kept going. "But that isn't the issue-you're just trying to change the subject so you don't have to tell me why you haven't slept. I know for a fact you never listen to me or take advice from me in any way, shape, or form on any subject, so why should 'drop dead' be any different?"

Sesshoumaru smirked. "I never thought I would say these words, but you're right."

Kesa put a look of exaggerated surprise on her face. "Gasp! I never though I would hear those words either. Get me a calendar, I need to forever engrave this momentous event into history," Kesa smiled weakly.

"Hmph. I'm taking you to work with me so I can get you blood. Also, you double as my excuse for being late, since I will be now due to staying up all night to save you. And by the way, I _was_ planning on sleeping last night."

Kesa couldn't hide the guilty look on her face. "I'm really sorry. Trying to kill myself was selfish and ignorant of me. I wasn't thinking clearly. I just get like that when I think of what happened to me. I guess it's still ingrained into me that nobody cares about me and that I wouldn't be missed if I died tomorrow. But there are still a few people on this earth who want my smartass remarks and violent tendencies. Man, those traits make me sound like a real winner. But thank you Sesshoumaru, for saving me. Twice. I owe ya quite a bit now," Kesa smiled at him softly, genuine affection in her eyes, but her energy was failing fast and she looked away.

"Oh, and by the way, before I pass out from using all of my energy, I'd like to also thank you for backhanding me. It's no where near what I deserve, but it's a start," she added quietly before finally allowing herself to fall into the enchanting lull of unconsciousness that had been pecking at her brain for a while.

Sesshoumaru's eyes softened towards the girl that was slowly slipping past all his careful defenses. _'There are people who care about you, no matter what you may think.'_

Sesshoumaru quickly shock that dangerous thought away before adjusting her limp form into a more comfortable position. "Last night's incident notwithstanding, you seem to be maturing." Sesshoumaru left the bathroom on that note to go get a quick shower, throw some clothes on, and figure out exactly what he was going to say when he got to work.

* * *

Inuyasha smelled him before he heard him. "Hey Kagome, hold on a sec. There's something I have to check out."

"Uh, sure. Go ahead."

Inuyasha detached himself from Kagome and quickly jumped up off the bed and calmly opened the door, though his nerves were going insane. "What happened? Will she live?"

"She's fine. I was coming to get the wheelchair. I saw that the girl in there was using it, and I need it to bring Kesa to the hospital with me."

"Um, yeah sure. Take it. But if she's fine then why do you need to take her there?" Inuyasha started to worry that his brother was holding something back. He was infamous for his habit of withholding details.

"As I said, she is fine, but it would help her body recover easier and faster if I gave her a transfusion. That is the only reason she needs to go," Sesshoumaru added, knowing because of his "little trait" that his brother thought he was skimming over the details because she was in a bad condition, and would question him further, therefore making him even tardier than he already was.

"Oh. Yeah that makes sense I guess. I'll go in and get it for you. I don't think Kagome would mind giving it up for a while."

_'So his newest pets' name is Kagome,'_ Sesshoumaru thought distractedly as he waited for his younger brother to return.

Inuyasha returned not more than a minute later, the wheelchair folded up and tucked under his arm. "Do you want me to put her in it, or do you want to?"

"If you feel you must, then you do it. It would help me some because then I wouldn't get blood on these clothes and have to change again."

Inuyasha nodded his approval, and they both took off and reached the bathroom within seconds. Sesshoumaru realized something as he opened the door for Inuyasha. They talked, and they didn't fight _once_. Not even an itty-bitty insult was thrown. It was shocking because usually they couldn't even stay in the same room without some form of a brawl breaking out. They were having _civil _conversation, and even _helping _each other. All because of Kesa. '_The girl does have some use other than kitchen help and late excuses.'_ He watched vaguely as Inuyasha carefully picked her up bridal style after opening the wheelchair. He quickly grabbed some linen sheets from the bathroom closet to cover his car seat as a last minute idea. Soon her still sleeping body was rolling out to him, and he put the linens in her lap.

"She's all yours. Take good care of her will ya?"

"Like I haven't been doing that so far."

Inuyasha blushed slightly and mumbled something about going back to Kagome. Sesshoumaru smirked, picked up the wheelchair, and practically flew down the steps to the garage door. _'Damn, I should have made him come down to get her in the car. Looks like its back to doing it the hard way…'_

Sesshoumaru opened up a folded sheet and covered the seat of his beloved Porsche. Even though all the blood on her _should_ be dry, he wasn't taking any chances. He had Italian leather seats and blood would not be a nice decoration. He took the other sheet and threw it on the car seat. Once he was done he would wrap it around her, so he had less of a chance of getting blood on himself.

"Hmm…" Sesshoumaru contemplated how he could make her look more like a slave. The blood coated most of her clothes, which was good it showed abuse had taken place, but the clothes looked too high-quality underneath. He shredded bits of her gray shirt and knit pants, and sliced off the binding around her chest completely. Slaves would never have that, no matter what they were forced to do. Even if it would help them, masters made slaves suffer as much as possible. He messed up her hair even more than it already was, and sliced some chunks out. That would look good as a previous punishment for something. "She'll be pissed about her hair, but it can't be helped. A little more grime would help complete the look. I'm not about to rub it on her though. She'll have to do as is."

He wrapped the other sheet around her and put her in his car, then folded up the wheelchair and put it off to the side since he wouldn't need it again until they got back. He revved up the engine and drove away, deciding to let her sleep until they were about halfway there. Then they had to discuss her behavior at Shingetsu Hospital.

* * *

Kesa finally came back to the light after a few minutes of jostling. "Five more minutes Sango-chan. Please?"

"No, we have to talk. And I'm not Sango."

Kesa's eyes shot open, and she looked around at the rapidly disappearing countryside and appearing suburbs. "Where in god's name am I?"

"The outskirts of Kanazawa. I told you we were going to the hospital before you passed out."

"Oh yeah. You have to give me a few minutes for my memory to kick in. It's a little slow on the uptake."

"So I've seen. But moving on, I need to tell you how to act at the hospital. It's crucial-"

"That I don't give away I'm not treated as a slave. Take every order you give me, don't listen to anyone else unless given orders, and act scared and helpless. And broken, that's always a plus. Umm…never look a demon in the eye unless given orders by you, don't speak unless spoken to. Always address you and other demons with the utmost respect. I know the drill. Kikyo had the rules pounded into me, not that it ever did her any good," Kesa grinned cockily at the fond memories of driving her former master up the wall.

Sesshoumaru nodded in approval. "Good, you remember how to act, now for the cover story. I've decided to say that last night you decided to disobey me, to test my limits of mercy. I backhanded you across the face for your impudence, which explains the bruise. You told me to kill you if you were going to continued to be treated as thus, and so I gave you orders to slit your wrist since you wanted death so badly. I gave you a taste of death, and only after you begged and pleaded for your life, swore that you would be a loyal and obedient slave, did I consent to save your worthless hide. I am late because I ordered the others slaves to put you in the car, and they took too long so I had to give them punishment before I left. My coworkers should accept the story without much difficulty."

"Catchy. I like it. I bet it's one of your biggest fantasies."

"Oh really. And why is that?"

"You would love to 'punish' me more often, and have me under your complete control."

Sesshoumaru shook his head and decided not to touch that one. "Well, is there anything else you would like to add to the story?"

"Actually, 'add' isn't the word. The less details, the less made up something sounds. You can't be too vague, or they'll think you're hiding something; too much detail and they'll think that you're being too thorough in trying to convince them and won't believe a word of it. Stick to the basics, but be ready to elaborate a bit if pressed. Though there is one question that will probably be raised that we should discuss the answer to."

Sesshoumaru mulled over her words as he asked her what that could be.

"Why you saved me even though I pleaded. Remember that cattle are worth more than slaves. If you killed me, it wouldn't matter. Just buy another one and save yourself the aggravation."

Sesshoumaru grinned. "Aren't you the clever one? I'm glad the cogs are turning. I'll just say that you have a special knack for cooking that I haven't found in any other one of my slaves, which is true enough."

"Merci. Glad to hear you like my cooking. And by the way, you are the one who did this to my clothes, right?"

"No, I commissioned one of the wild black bears from the woods to do it."

"Oh hardy-har-har. Smartass. I asked if it was you because I'm missing something that's usually under my shirt."

"The binding?"

"That would be it. So you _are_ the one who did it."

"Not that it would take a rocket scientist to figure out you wore it since you told the entire household last night, but yes I did do it."

Kesa's face flushed against her will, and she saw Sesshoumaru smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"Nothing I haven't seen before, I assure you."

"Yeah, whatever you say pal. Just keep driving and let me get some of my dignity back."

"It's not my fault you wear that instead of a bra like a normal woman. Slaves don't bind their chests because they don't fight unless their masters enter them into a Gladiator tournament. It had to go."

Kesa shuddered at the thought of the revived Gladiator tournaments that demons devised. Instead of always seeing two demons waste each other within seconds, they pitted desperate humans against each other. Sometimes they even had human on demon matches, and when they really wanted a show they pitted them against assorted animals, including but not limited to, lions, jackals, wolves, and cougars. Seriously food depraved lions, jackals, wolves, and cougars.

"Keep telling yourself that you bloody pervert if it makes you feel better. Let's just get this over with."

* * *

As soon as Sesshoumaru turned off his engine, he started barking orders at Kesa like a good master should because the demons in the hospital had very sensitive hearing. Kesa pulled though beautifully. She whimpered, tears welling in her eyes as she opened the door and tried to walk. She promptly fell as her legs crumpled under her from weakness that wasn't part of the plan.

"Get the hell up you worthless bitch."

"I'm trying master," Kesa cried as she repeatedly tried to stand on the two towers of jelly she called legs.

"Well try harder unless you want me to reconsider my decision to save your sorry ass."

Kesa finally managed to gain a rocky footing when Sesshoumaru grabbed her neck, dragging her behind him, reaming her out about how worthless and pathetic she was, and how he should just leave her in the gutter where she belongs.

_'Damn, he's getting _way_ too into this. Totally un-Sesshoumaru like. He never shows emotion in public from what I hear. And he's actually starting to hurt my neck. My ass isn't feeling the best either,'_ Kesa thought while wincing because of her skin being rubbed raw by asphalt.

Surprising the hell out of Kesa, right after she thought that, the grip on her neck loosened a tad bit, and she was lifted off the ground more. She smiled inwardly. _'Thank you Sesshoumaru-chan, because I know you can hear this.'_

The only reaction he showed was lightly clinching his hand around her throat for a second before loosening it up again. Kesa knew that was his way of acknowledging her gratitude without blowing his cover.

After they had gotten inside the foyer of the employee entrance, he picked her up and threw her down hard on the ground. All of the nurses who had just been bustling to-and-fro a moment ago froze when they laid eyes upon the first slave Sesshoumaru had ever brought in. One old wolf-demon doctor that walked by just had to make a wiseass comment.

"Well well well, what have we here? Has the emotionally constipated doctor finally let himself get riled up by a naughty slave-bitch? My, what a wonderful surprise to find that you actually have it in you to punish the disobedient."

"What makes you think she's the first?"

"Well for starters, you've never brought one in before."

"Unless you have discovered the means of bringing back a corpse then bringing in the others would have served no purpose."

"Whatever you say m'boy. Just keep her out of the way."

"She's very obedient…now." Sesshoumaru waved a hand toward her completely still form, her head facing the ground, her eyes away from everybody.

"Glad to hear it. Now I have to be getting back to my job. I have more important things to be worrying about than some damn slave girl. Just patch her up and stick her in a closet until your shift is done."

Sesshoumaru nodded his head to his superior. "Sir."

The old wolf laughed as Sesshoumaru dragged Kesa to the nearest and smallest room by her hair. The tears Kesa shed weren't as fake as she would have liked. She was out of practice; she hadn't felt it in a while and it really fucking hurt! But she never let out a sound or fought him as she normally would have.

Once in the room, he closed the door behind him and picked her up only to drop her on the bed. _'Damn hospital beds are hard,'_ Kesa inwardly grumbled.

"Now stay here, or else there will be hell to pay." Surprisingly, Sesshoumaru squeezed her hand as his passed over her, a reassuring gesture that confirmed that he wasn't getting off on his newly found, and most definitely temporary power. _'Jesus, when has he ever done something like that before? That boy has shocked me more times today…'_

He returned a few minutes later with a bag of blood hanging on an IV rack. "Hold still." He tied a tourniquet around her bicep just tight enough so he could find a vein. Once he had his mark he stuck the needle into the crook of her arm and taped it down, then turned on the flow of blood and attached her to the bed with restraints.

"So you don't try anything stupid."

"If you see it as necessary master."

"Don't you dare act like you have a choice or are consenting to this wench. Don't presume that just because the needle is in your skin that it can't come out."

"I'm sorry master, I did not mean to sound impertinent. Please forgive me."

Sesshoumaru took a light whiff. "You're not lying, so I'll forget this one instance. But if it happens again…"

"It won't master."

"Good answer. Now you'll stay here until you have received enough blood. Then, I will take you to the janitors' closet, and you will stand there for the rest of my shift. You may only sit down if you feel faint so you don't pass out and cause a mess. The only words you will speak will be to someone who goes in there. You will tell them that you are the slave of Doctor Tamakata, and you are there by my orders until I say you can leave. If anyone tries to move you to a different location, then yell for me and I will straighten them out. You know what to do if anyone tries to steal or claim you as their own."

"Yes Master Tamakata. I am to scream until you get there."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Now I have a job to do, and I'll be back later to check on your progress."

"Yes Master Tamakata," Kesa nodded her head because that was the only bow she could do.

And with his order still ringing in the air, he left to take care of his patients. Kesa soon dropped off from exhaustion, and to prep for the long hours she will have to wait when she's done receiving blood.

* * *

As Sesshoumaru flipped through the charts to see who needed to be attended to one of the new residents walked by grinning.

"I just saw that slave of yours and heard what ya said. With a body like that she shouldn't be accustomed to _standing_ for long periods of time."

"If you're implying that I would stoop low enough to fuck a slave-wench for mere carnal pleasure, than you are an even bigger imbecile than I had originally pegged you as."

He smiled, thinking that Sesshoumaru was just messing around, and laughed slapping him on the back. "Yeah I'm sure. You may think you're so much better, so much different than the rest of us, but you're still a demon, a _man_, with needs-"

Sesshoumaru whirled around and grabbed his wrist, twisting it behind the kids back easily, almost popping it out of its socket. "Now listen here," he whispered right next to the kids' ear. "For starters, don't you ever touch me again if you want to keep this arm. Second, I don't give into lust and rape an innocent girl for kicks and an unsatisfying quickie. And if I want to screw somebody, I can get it from any demoness I desire. I don't need some inexperienced human wench who has never pleasured a man before. Understand?"

"Ye-yes Tamakata-sama," the kid sputtered, Sesshoumaru damn close to ripping his arm off.

"Good."

The kid was released to rub his throbbing arm. "Damn you have a grip."

Sesshoumaru went back to work and ignored the kid as he rambled on.

"Hey, I have a proposition for ya."

_'Oh great, here it comes,'_ Sesshoumaru thought, mentally rolling his eyes.

"Hey, are ya listening?"

"I am trying not to, but you're not making it that easy."

The kid laughed, any and all anger about his arm long gone. "I want to buy your slave bitch."

"No," Sesshoumaru said flatly.

"Oh come on man, you can't let such a good piece of ass go to waste. Granted, she has nothing on a demoness, but she'd still be a knockout if you cleaned her up a bit."

"What part of 'no' confuses you?"

"The part where you won't accept a fair amount of cash for her."

"She's not for sale."

"Alright fine, I'll have to give you a price to entice you I see. Alright, I'll give ya…500 bucks for her man."

"I could get more at an auction if I needed the money."

"Fine, 550. You could always use some spare cash man."

_'This kid just doesn't know when to quit does he?'_ "Spare cash? That's pocket change for me. Don't you know anything about me? I'm one of the wealthiest demons on the planet. It's because of my family that you aren't a slave yourself right now. I only work because I enjoy practicing medicine and have no desire to sit around all day doing nothing but wallowing in my riches. I don't need your measly money. Her services are worth more than your offer anyway."

Sesshoumaru had never liked flaunting his status. It was disgusting how other demons abused the privilege of being wealthy and powerful to manipulate everything to suit them. He only used it when he was extremely annoyed, and now definitely qualified as one of those times.

_'That should shut him up.'_

"No shit? It's your old man who busted demons out of slavery? That explains a lot man. It's no wonder you act like you have a pole shoved up your ass: it's because you have quite a few silver spoons jammed up in there instead," the resident laughed at his own joke.

_'Scratch that.'_

"Consider yourself warned after this-if another word passes your lips to me while I'm trying to do my job, then _you'll _be the next patient treated here. Is that clear enough for you, or do I have to spell it out _kitty_?"

The kid, a young cat demon, flushed a bit at the implication and the nickname. He was a cat, and Sesshoumaru a dog. Now tell me kids, who usually wins the brawl between the two species?

He mumbled incoherently under his breath and slinked away in a very feline-ish fashion.

"About bloody time," came another mumble, only this one was from Sesshoumaru.

And now, with the kid gone, Sesshoumaru finished scanning the charts and choose a monkey-demon with blunt force trauma to the head because he and his buddy wanted to see how much strength it would take to knock out a demon.

Sesshoumaru quickly wrote down a smartass comment on the chart before walking off to see how the dumb shit was doing and check his newest X-rays.

_-Recommendation: Keep Mr. Tao and his half-wit pal far apart and away from baseball bats._

* * *

Kesa awoke feeling refreshed by the sensation of a needle sliding from under her skin.

"Ow…"

Suddenly a lot more than what qualified as a mere 'ow' happened across her cheek-her already bruised cheek to boot.

"Silence. I do not want to hear another utterance from you."

Her eyes shot open and she took in her surroundings. _'Oh shit, I'm at the hospital. I shouldn't have said that. Dammit, he should have woken me up first so I remembered not to say it. Shit damn fuck. Shit damn fuck…'_ was the chant going through her now un-sleep fogged mind. She quickly turned her shocked expression into one of fear and pain (the pain being not so faked). She nodded her head and sealed her lips tight.

_'What a wonderful chant you have there. You should teach it to a group of pre-schoolers,'_ floated through her mind. She knew that it was Sesshoumaru talking and would have smirked at him openly if not for the circumstances, so she used her tone of voice to convey it.

_'I thought so. Maybe you could gather them around my bed and I'll start a daycare. How's that sound?'_

Sesshoumaru passed the sensation of rolling his eyes to her. '_You need to grow up. Onto more important matters, I have another four hours on my shift. You are lucky, you've been out for about five hours already because I put you on a slow drip.'_

_'_Four _fucking hours? I'm going to die doing that.'_

_'I could have pumped the blood into you faster and made you stand for six hours instead of four.'_

_'I love you Sesshoumaru.'_

Sesshoumaru didn't respond, and hoped nobody noticed his heart skip a beat when she said that. He quickly squashed any emotion he felt and was about to break the telepathic connection when she quickly got his attention. _'Hey wait a sec before you leave. Do you remember when we were out on the beach and you told me about the mother and son that died?'_

_'Yes, what of them?'_ he responded, knowing full well what she wanted.

_'Could you look at their charts and see if they have any family to take care of the arrangements. I'll look for their obituaries on the internet when we get home, but I can start planning during my little fours hours of fun since I'll have nothing better to do.'_

Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment while he pondered. _'I'll look if I get the chance, but there is no guarantee,'_ he finally decided, getting an excited and happy feeling from Kesa.

_'Thanks old man.'_

_'Watch who you insult. Remember-don't bite the hand that feeds you,'_ Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes mentally at her.

_'I have been thoroughly abused today; that little tease was a freebie and you'd better let it slide. And remember, I'm only biting the hand that's been smacking me with the empty dish before he fills it.'_

Sesshoumaru cut the connection at that. _'Touché wench. Touché.'_

During the little non-verbal chat, Sesshoumaru had been stretching out her muscles to get the new blood circulating through her system.

"Now that you're done here, I will take you to the janitor's closet and you will do as I instructed earlier. You may stretch a bit if your limbs feel heavy, and you may pace slightly to relieve the feeling, but no more than two steps forward and two steps back past the original position. Only sit if you feel faint. You are not to touch or disturb anything."

"Yes master. Thank you very much for your patience and mercy."

"You're lucky I have both those traits, but never forget that even I have limits again."

"I will not make the same foolish mistake again Master Tamakata."

Sesshoumaru picked her up off the bed and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walked her down the hall to the closet. He picked a square tile in the middle of the room to set her on. Without a word he left and closed the door behind him. Kesa mentally sighed braced herself for four hours of pure boredom.

**I think this is the longest chapter to any of my stories at 27 pages. I hope you like the editing, and I'm sorry I take so long to get new chapters out, and I'm sorry there is so much of my OC in here. I like writing about more than just the basic characters but nobody likes reading that. I promise to put more Inu/Kag and Sango/Miroku in the next chapter, which should come out soon because I've been inspired and I'm planning on writing the next chapter tomorrow.**

**Just let me know if I'm wasting my time or if you really do want an update please. It's a nice thing to know for sure.**

**Whelp, I'm finishing this edit two minutes to midnight on New Year's Eve, 2007. To everyone out there, have a happy new year.**

**Ja.**


	9. Disasters Really DO Bring Out The Best I

**.:A Slaves Love:.  
**_By: Kagura-hime_

_Summery_: In a world where humans are slaves to youkai, Kagome Higurashi has it as bad as you can get. Viciously beaten and abandoned by her master, a certain hanyou finds her and heals her wounds. But can he mend her broken heart too? I/K Miroku/Sango, Sess/OC

_Disclaimer_: I'm very sad to say that I don't own any copyright privileges to Inuyasha. It's a depressing fact, but hey, they make meds to help with that sort of thing so it all works out in the end.

_Notes_: Finally, the long awaited new chapter. As I said at the end of the edited chapter seven, I'm sorry about the lack of Sango/Miroku and Inu/Kag action. I hope this chapter will make up for it. In case you haven't noticed, I went back and edited all the previous chapters. I changed some things, added a LOT to chapter seven between Kagome and Inuyasha and Inuyasha explains Sango and Miroku's origins along with a more detailed past of his own. So, check it out, and I hope you enjoy the new, spiffy, mostly-grammatically correct version of ASL.

Also, after I post this and give people a chance to read it, I'm changing my pen-name to **Cognoscente**. Just thought I'd give you a heads up D

**:A Slaves Love:  
**_Chapter 8: Disasters Really DO Bring Out The Best In People...I Think_

No matter what she did, Sango couldn't wipe the goofy grin off her face. She had just spent hours with the lecher, and not once was she molested, groped, or frustrated in any way; she couldn't remember a time when they had just enjoyed each other's company without incident. But now as she fluttered about the kitchen, a huge albeit partially finished breakfast giving off a mouth-watering aroma, a particular organ located in her chest fluttered along with her. Now if only Miroku would act like that _all_ of the time, things might be drastically different between the two of them.

Sango hummed a little tune to herself as she worked cooking a variety of meats, pancakes, waffles, and eggs, wondering to herself all the time if Miroku would like her meal. _'What has gotten into me? How could a few hours with a man I've known for years change how I feel about him? Maybe I've always felt like this, but…why didn't I realize it sooner? How could I ignore that I fell in love with him? Wait, oh my god, did I just say love? I can't, I don't! Can I…? I guess that…maybe I do. It explains a lot. And here I'd just convinced myself it was just a silly crush. I hate Cupid; I truly, utterly, hate Cupid and his stupid arrows.'_

After another half hour or so, Sango went to her room, to tell Inuyasha that breakfast was ready. Kagome had gotten so used to the room that Sango had never had the heart to make her leave when she was finally so happy for once, and had taken up residence in one of the spare rooms, slowly moving her stuff out without Kagome realizing it.

The said girl had fallen asleep cuddled up to the half-demon, and it took him a few minutes to gently disentangle himself without waking her. They went back downstairs together and not surprisingly, Inuyasha attacked the food and packed his mouth full of goodies. "Disgusting…"

Inuyasha looked up from his plate and swallowed noisily. "What?"

"You eat like a pig Inuyasha; one of these days you're going to choke and die. You do realize that you don't have to stuff it all down your throat at once; it won't run away from you if you take smaller bites."

Inuyasha merely narrowed his eyes and glared at her for a few moments before stuffing a particularly huge chunk of pancake in his mouth.

Sango shot him a look of disgust and left him with the utterance of "I hope you do choke" to go fetch Miroku.

A few minutes later she was standing in front of his third floor room, a huge smile in place. She knocked and felt her stomach drop when a very feminine giggle was quickly quieted. The sound of quick footsteps and a door opening and shutting came right before Miroku answered the door, wearing naught but his boxers, an irritated expression marring his handsome features. His expression quickly turned sick after he saw who had knocked, the undeniable expression of pain on her face.

"Sango-"

"Don't." She held up a hand to stop him; she didn't want to hear any excuses or stories this time. "Just…don't Miroku. I get it, I really do. I was a fool to think you may have actually cared for me." When Miroku opened his mouth to speak Sango quickly cut him off. "I just came to let you know breakfast is ready down in the kitchen. I'll leave you alone with your…company now. Come down whenever you're free." She turned and started to walk down the hall towards the stairs.

Miroku reached and grabbed her shoulder ready to do anything to take away the look of pain on her face that he caused.

"Get off me. Let me go."

"No Sango, I won't. You have to listen to me."

"No! I don't want to hear it! I hate you Miroku! Just let me go!" Sango screamed, her eyes welling up with tears.

And he did. His hand slid limply from her shoulder in shock. He watched her run down the hall towards the stairs for a moment before dashing back into his room and throwing open the closet door. A half naked maid greeted him, smiling up at him in victory.

Miroku glared down at her, fury in his eyes. "Out. _Now_," he seethed at her.

Her smile faltered a split-second before regaining its full force. She stood up and placed her hands on his bare chest, batting her seductive brown eyes at him. "Why, what's wrong baby?"

He grabbed her hands and pushed her away from him. Her smile vanished and she matched his glare with one of her own.

"Don't you dare 'baby' me ever again. I want you out and I want you out now. Don't come back here. You may very well have just destroyed my one chance with Sango over nothing."

"It wasn't 'nothing' when you were fucking my brains out two days ago now was it? Or am I just not good enough for you?" Venom dripped from her voice.

"You knew that nothing would come of it. I let you know in no uncertain terms it was just physical and you said you were ok with that. Well whatever you thought was going on is over. Now get out."

"You'll regret this Miroku, don't you worry."

"I already do."

With that she walked over to her shirt and put it on as she was storming out. The door slammed behind her and Miroku dropped his head into his hands for one desolate moment. _'How can I ever repair the damage that Kira just caused? I never should have slept with her in the first place…'_

He snapped himself out of his daze and pulled on jeans and a dress shirt as fast as he could, running out of his room in the direction Sango had gone barefoot.

'_I hope it's not too late to fix this.'_

* * *

Sango busted into the kitchen, unshed tears brimming in her eyes. Inuyasha was still eating at a furious pace but managed to pause for a moment to look up curiously at the commotion.

When the tears broke free Inuyasha froze for a split-second before jumping up and hugging her. He pulled her close and cradled her head to his chest with one hand, the other wrapped around her shoulders stroking her upper arm. She tried to talk but the sobs racking her body made it hard.

"I k-knew I s-shouldn't have t-trusted him. H-he doesn't care about m-me at a-all!"

"Who?" Inuyasha asked, knowing who 'he' was but not wanting to hear it confirmed.

"W-who else? T-that _asshole_ M-Miroku."

Inuyasha was a little shocked at the language. Normally she was yelling at everyone else about their potty-mouths and for her to use that kind of language, talking about Miroku no less, he must have hurt her bad. Inuyasha saw red.

"What exactly did he do now?"

Sango took a few deep breaths to steady herself before answering. She hated absolutely hated blubbering; it made her sound weak.

"Well," she started off slowly, "we had a really nice time last night. I was upset and went to see him. He didn't act perverted at all. He asked me to dance to help get my mind off things and I had a great time; I've never done something like that before. It really sparked old feelings for him. I was beginning to hope that he liked me too…it had really seemed like he cared. He walked me back to my room and kissed my hand goodnight. It was all so sweet…" Sango started to lose her cool and took another deep breath or two to finish. "I woke up about an hour ago and was so happy. I came down and started cooking and I realized that I've been in love with him for a long time. When I went up to tell him breakfast was ready I heard a girl giggle before he put her in the closet and answered the door in his boxers. I can't believe it. Not even six hours after he acted a complete gentleman towards me he was tossing the sheets with one of the maids! Jesus I hate him…I'm such a fool…" Sango broke into sobs again.

Inuyasha seethed silently, wondering how long Miroku was going to stand at the door listening before he made his grand appearance. _'I can't believe he did this…how could he be such a damned fool?! I'll kill him for this I really will!'_

Then the source of Sangos' distress walked in slowly after hearing majority of her story and regretting ever laying eyes on Kira. Inuyasha sent him an icy glare that could only be rivaled by Sesshoumaru himself. Miroku swallowed in fear before opening his mouth to speak.

"No. Out, now," Inuyasha cut him off.

"No! Sango, you need to hear me out."

"I said _out_!" Inuyasha roared.

"Sango I love you!"

All the wind disappeared from the half-demons' sails with the look of raw truth on Mirokus face. Sango froze before slowly lifting her head from Inuyashas' chest for the first time since he came in.

"What did you say?" she whispered, barely daring to hope.

"I love you. I have for years. This isn't how I envisioned telling you at all but I didn't see any other way of getting you to listen to me. That girl doesn't mean anything to me; it was purely physical. And nothing happened this morning no matter how bad it looked. I was with her a few days ago and she came back to my room hoping for an encore. I always sleep in boxers which is why I opened the door in them. When you knocked she giggled and I put her in the closet in case it was you, hoping to god you hadn't heard her. I knew immediately that you had and wanted to explain. I ended it with her. She's mad but she'll get over it. The only person I really want…is you," Miroku looked directly into Sangos' eyes praying to Buddha she would believe him.

Inuyasha sniffed the air for a moment then looked down at Sango. "He's not lying if that helps you any. And I can vouch for him-he does sleep in boxers; has since he's been here."

Sango looked pensive for a moment before pulling away from Inuyasha, the tear tracks still fresh on her face, and walked to Miroku. She stood directly in front of him and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

Mirokus hopes were dashed until she placed both her hands on either side of his face and pulled it up to look him in the eye.

"That's for hurting me all these years by letting me catch you with other women. And this is for finally making all that pain worth it."

And she kissed him. Slowly, lovingly, pouring her entire heart into it. It only took Miroku a heartbeat to wrap his arms around the girl he'd thought he would only kiss in his dreams. He pulled her as close as possible, kissing back with matching passion. Sangos hands moved to his hair, pulling it out of its traditional ponytail and running her fingers through it. His hands fanned her back, caressing.

She broke the kiss and looked him dead in the eye. "I love you too Miroku."

He smiled the most genuine smile she'd ever seen from him. "You've no idea how good it sounds to hear that from you. I thought I'd never hear it, and after this morning I was scared you'd never talk to me again at all."

She smiled back. "You're lucky you're so cute. And by the way, I do know how good it feels to hear those words. But enough of that. Just shut up and kiss me."

Miroku responded, "As you wish m'lady," before swooping down and recapturing her lips.

* * *

While Sango and Miroku were kissing each other senseless, Inuyasha had felt like an intruder and quickly gathered up the rest of his food and some extra and threw it all on to two trays with the double intention of giving the two lovebirds privacy, and feeding Kagome (and not to mention himself- he was starving!).

After he slipped out of the kitchen the back way as not to disturb the moment he picked up the strong scent of anger and tears from one of the back storage rooms. He peeked inside and saw one of the maids, Kira, sitting on the floor, her back to the door. He knew from the scent of tears that she had been crying and felt sorry for her.

'_This must be the maid Miroku just dumped. A shame she had to get hurt like that, she always seemed like a nice girl even though I've only known her a few months.'_

"I know you're there. Leave me alone."

"Kira its Inuyasha."

She whirled around, her eyes wide. He was one the two last people she had expected to see, with the other being the full-fledged demon who owned the house. "Oh…I'm sorry sir. I didn't realize who it was. But still, would you please leave me alone."

Inuyasha set down the trays outside and sat next to her. "I know what happened, and I'm sorry."

"I don't want your pity! Please, just let me be!"

Inuyasha shook his head. "I'm not giving you pity. I don't want pity so I don't give it. But just so you know, you're not the only person who knows how much it hurts to lose someone they care about."

She looked at him warily, trying to decide if this was a ruse or not. "Who did you lose?"

Inuyasha pursed his lips a moment before responding; he didn't like talking about her, but he didn't want this girl to close up on him and become bitter like he had after he lost his love. "Her name was Kikyo. She was the love of my life. A priestess. I was naïve and foolish then. She didn't go out with me because she liked me…she went out with me to give my enemy information on me and my brother. Once her real boyfriend was tired of sharing her she broke it off. When I pursued her she told me the truth so she wouldn't have to be bothered by me anymore. I didn't talk to anyone about it. I became bitter. Only because my friends were persistent and had limitless patience with me did I get out of my slump and start living again."

She stared at him in awe, a new respect forming for him. "That…that's terrible. I'm so sorry."

Inuyasha smiled gently at her. "I don't want your pity."

She smiled back weakly. "Okay, point proven. I just…I don't know. I really liked him. I knew the only way I'd get close to him was if I…messed around with him. So I did. I slept with him a few days ago and it was the best night of my life. It wasn't like he was just screwing me, it felt like he was making love to me no matter what he had told me about it just being physical." Kira looked away towards the ground. "I had hoped that if I kept it going long enough he would get to know me for who _I_ am not just my body. I went to his room to try and see him again today. He was _so_ angry at me this morning after Sango left…I'd never seen him like that before. I knew I didn't stand a chance anymore; he was already in love. I was so angry and hurt that I told him he'd regret dumping me. I was originally intending on breaking them up as revenge. I knew he would never give me the chance of day again so I was going to make him miserable….but deep down I really didn't want to do it honestly. And now…I'm going to just try and let it go; let him be happy. I'm going to apologize to him later, and explain myself before he gets the wrong idea. Sango too." She looked back up at Inuyasha. "Thank you. I feel so much better now. I guess I just needed to let that out."

"It's nice having someone to just listen sometimes."

"True to that," she smiled.

"Listen, anytime you need someone to talk to, vent to, whatever the case, just come find me, ok?" Inuyasha looked at her, hoping she would accept his offer.

Kira nodded and stood up. She reached down to help Inuyasha stand. He gave her a teasing look as he took her hands. "Isn't this supposed to be the other way around?"

She laughed and responded, "Yeah and I can see why…you're heavy!"

Inuyasha grumbled playfully as she pulled him up. "Do you want me to take the trays you had somewhere?" She asked once he was up.

Inuyasha thought for a moment, deciding to let her take the food up so he could go grab a few board games from his room to keep Kagome occupied for the day since Kesa was at the hospital with his brother and Sango would most likely be busy with Miroku all day. He wasn't quite sure where everything was so it might take him a while and the food would be really cold by the time Kagome got her hands on it.

"Sure. Could you take them to Kagome? She's in Sango's room," Inuyasha smiled at her.

Kira smiled back, but this time, it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Not a problem."

"Thanks a bunch." Inuyasha grinned and sped off to his room to dig out some games.

Kira bent to pick up the trays, her smile sinister. _'That was easier than I thought; he's so gullible it's ridiculous. But one quick stop and then to Kagome we shall go. Today turned out quite in my favor after all.'_ A chuckle escaped her lips as she headed in the direction of the medical cabinet.

* * *

'_Mitsukake Asako has another son. Her husband was killed last year by a car-jacker. Does that help any?'_

Kesa shook her head before responding to Sesshoumaru mentally. _'This poor family has no luck with cars do they? Is there anybody left to take care of the second son?'_

'_The chart had no other relatives listed as the next of kin. I suppose the boy is still alone unless somebody has taken him in or child services got to him.'_

Kesa would have gasp aloud if she didn't catch herself in time. It was risky enough talking mentally with him around other, powerful demons who may have had the same trait but to physically respond would have been a death sentence.

'_That poor child! We can't leave him alone! That's so cruel…his whole family is dead and now he has to fend for himself…we have to do something Sesshou-chan.'_

Sesshoumaru was reluctant to admit that he liked the pet name she had just called him. He decided it was something he shouldn't dwell on and responded. _'What is this 'we'? _I_ don't have to do anything. There are enough people in our house without bringing in a complete stranger. We don't even know, the second son may be an adult who can take care of himself. I'm not getting involved.'_

Kesa decided that persistence would wear him down….or annoy him to the point where he would give in just to shut her up. It also wasn't lost on her how he didn't threaten her life for the nickname she called him. Maybe he was starting to warm up to her? It was something to think about after the mental connection was broken. _'Please Sesshou-chan? We'll just go and see. And if he is an adult, then just tell him you came to inform him of his family's death and to offer condolences or something. But if he's just a defenseless child, could you really leave him by himself and not feel the slightest bit of guilt?' _

Sesshoumaru sighed mentally. _'I must be getting soft in my old age to even consider this scheme. Ok, we will go after I am done my shift. I remember the address from the chart. But no promises. If nobody is there then we go home I'm not spending half the bloody night on a wild-goose chase to track the kid down.'_

'_Deal. And thank you Sesshoumaru. This means a lot to me,' _Kesa sent him the sensation of smiling.

Sesshoumaru broke the connection. He told himself the happiness swelling in his chest at making her smile was merely indigestion though he knew it wasn't true.

* * *

The first thing that entered the room was a teetering pile of brightly colored boxes supported by two clawed hands. After the mass turned around, the body that was attached to the hands was visible as it closed the door with its elbow.

Inuyasha walked over next to the bed and put down his load. He looked at Kagome and caught her in the middle of biting a piece of bacon. He smiled down at her.

"How is it?"

"Great!" She mumbled around the food. As soon as she chewed and swallowed she elaborated a bit. "This is delicious! Who made breakfast this morning?"

"Sango did. But now she's in the kitchen making out with Miroku instead of making food."

Kagome choked on the orange juice she was drinking and Inuyasha started patting her back as she coughed.

"_What?!_ Since when are they...?"

Inuyasha grinned. "Since last night apparently. They had a nice kind of date and now they professed their love for one another and are sucking each other's faces off."

Kagome smiled. "That' so adorable. I'm really glad they're happy with each other. It's nice to see some good left in the world."

Before Inuyasha could respond Ayume walked in unannounced, which was something she never did. She looked pale as ice as she held a phone tightly against her shoulder . Inuyasha opened his mouth to ask but she shook her head and put a finger to her lips and mouthed one word that made Inuyasha's blood run cold.

_Inspector_

* * *

After coming very close to going insane from boredom, Kesa looked up with relief when Sesshoumaru spoke from the open doorway of the storage room. It didn't even matter to her anymore that he publically degraded her with the filthy names, just that her torture was over.

She silently followed the demon out of the hospital and climbed into his car the same way. After they were out of earshot of the youkai in the hospital, Sesshoumaru spoke civilly for the first time in hours.

"You are a better actress than I thought. Nobody questioned me about you."

She smiled in return. "Same goes to you. You're good at being cruel and domineering"

He gave a low chuckle. He decided to test if she was still suicidal or not. "My earlier statement was actually a lie." At her questioning and hurt look he continued. "I was asked about you, but not about why you were there."

"Will you stop talking in riddles and get to the point?"

"I had a demon offer me money for you." At her shocked look he decided to elaborate a bit. "He offered me almost 600 for you. He said that if you were cleaned up a bit you would be quite a catch. Seemed to really like you." He decided to leave out that the demon only wanted to use her as a sex toy and that he'd almost ripped the kid's arm off over it.

She chuckled lightly. "Yanno that should bother me cuz he probaly only wanted me for sex...but there's no point. Getting upset won't change the world. I just have to be thankful I'm in a part where I have people I can trust who won't hurt me anymore." At the last part she looked at him and smiled.

He was speechless for a moment at the beautiful way her genuine smile lit up her whole face before his cell phone chirped loudly from inside his dashboard, breaking the moment.

"I'll grab it," Kesa volunteered and checked the number before answering.

"Hey 'Yash what's up?"

"Where the fuck are you guys? I've been trying to get a hold of my damn brother for hours!"

"What could possibly be so important?" Sesshoumaru asked, not needing his sensitive hearing to know what the pissed hanyou was screaming into the receiver.

"Yeah 'Yash calm down and explain."

"There is no calming down. Get your asses here _now_!!"

Sesshoumaru took the phone from Kesa and growled into it. "If you do not stop screaming your fool head off and irritating me I will remove said fool head. Now what is your problem?"

"You arrogant asshole...we've got big problems. An Inspector is coming tomorrow at 8 o'clock! Somebody gave them a tip that we treat our slaves well and the only reason we got a tipoff is because of our influence! Everybody is going crazy trying to get everything ready in time. Now get your asses back here or it's your head they'll cut off!"

Sesshoumaru blinked and responded calmly, "We'll be there as soon as possible. And stop panicking because then you will forget something major that will jeopardize all of our lives. You have the checklist?"

Kesa looked at him sharply when he mentioned the checklist. She knew the only possible checklist he would be talking about was the checklist of all the things in the house that had to change when the Inspectors came for their yearly inspection so that they didn't realize the slaves were treated humanely.

"Of course I have it. Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"I'm going to treat that as a rhetorical question," Sesshoumaru dryly responded. "Make sure you check everything yourself before you mark it off the list. I'll go over it myself and speak to the humans on behavior when I return."

"Ok just hurry it up will ya? We don't have a lot of time."

Sesshoumaru hung up without another word. As soon as he handed the phone back to Kesa to put back in the glove-box she fired questions at him.

"Why are the Inspectors coming four months earlier than scheduled? And for that matter, how long do we have before they get to the house? And most importantly, are we still going to see the second son?"

Sesshoumaru heaved a weary sigh. "If you would stop rambling woman you would have answers. They are: somebody gave in a tip that we don't abuse our slaves, so an Inspector is coming tomorrow at 8 o'clock in the morning. And yes, since we are five minutes from the address, we will still go see the boy."

Her look paradoxically grew dark and happy. "Good we'll take care of the kid. But who the bloody fuck tipped them off? Do you think it was because of me this morning?"

Sesshoumaru thought hard on this question before finally responding. "No, I don't believe it was because of you. I would have heard somebody making that kind of call. Nobody made any obvious inquiries about you. The only one that would say anything would be that cat and he knows I would kill him for doing any such thing. I almost ripped his arm off as it was for his impudence."

Kesa quickly put two-and-two together and got four. "The cat demon is the one who made you the offer for me." Sesshoumaru noticed that it wasn't a question but a statement.

"Yes," he responded hesitantly. He didn't like where her line of questioning would go now. He really didn't want to give details of the encounter nor have her thinking that he actually cared about her or something ridiculous like that. It was something he didn't like to think about himself.

So, he implemented standard male conversation-evasion-tactic-number-one: he quickly changed topics to distract her. "I have a theory on who gave the tipoff. When Inuyasha rescued your friend he left his scent behind in the alley. When Naraku finally went back for her and didn't find her, he probably recognized the scent and figured out where she was. He waited a while to call in the tipoff so we would feel safe and let down our guard so my brother and I would be killed and he could get his slave back without a fight or any complications."

Kesa nodded, not surprised in the least. "I thought of him but with what happened today it seemed much more...convenient? Plausible, maybe? But now that you lay it out like that it makes sense. Perfect Naraku fashion. Use the cowards way out so he doesn't have to do any dirty work, or any work at all for that matter, and his precious hide is in no danger."

"Exactly." Sesshoumaru pulled into the driveway of a two story suburban house. "Come wench." She raised an eyebrow and gave him a looked that screamed 'you-did-not-just-say-that' _'In case he's an adult I have to treat you like a slave. Have you no brains?'_

The look on her face deflated into a mask of servitude and submission. He mind however, was not so docile. _'You ass of course I do. But I doubt this kid is an adult anyway.'_

As she followed behind him up the walkway he responded _'Well it never hurts to take precautions, especially when we may all die or be sold up the river tomorrow as it is. We don't need anymore shovels with which to dig our own graves.'_

'_You're still an ass...'_ She mumbled, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of saying he was right. He smirked internally, knowing it anyway.

Sesshoumaru knocked on the door, loudly, several times, waiting a minute or two between each set of knocks. _'Looks like he's not here anymore. Somebody got him. Let's go'_

'_Now you're the one with no brains. Sniff him out. Listen to his movements. Use the senses God gave you. Do _something_ constructive will ya?'_

Sesshoumaru shot her a glare before taking her suggestion. He should have thought of it earlier; he must need sleep worse than he realized. And of course, thanks to another fabulous curveball from Fate, it didn't seem like he would be getting any sleep tonight either. What absolute fun.

Sesshoumaru managed to pick up a scent resembling that of the little boy he'd worked on the night before. He was hidden away in a room on the upper story of the house. Fear and desolation permeated the kitsune's scent.

'_He's hiding inside. I'm going to go in and get him before he starves himself to death.'_

'_Ok, I'll follow like a good little slave.'_

Sesshoumaru tested the door only to find it unlocked, which shocked him a bit. He had figured that the kid would have locked and barred the door against intruders. Or maybe he didn't realize his family was dead and left the door unlocked for when they came home.

Whichever it was, Sesshoumaru was glad that he didn't have to resort to more drastic methods. He stepped inside to a comfortable living room. He quickly followed his nose to the stairs and proceeded upstairs. One thing his nose did not pick up were any human scents. They must not have had slaves. The whole house was still very well kept and felt like a true home, which Sesshoumaru approved of. At least the kid had lived a decent life so far and did not have to see people brutalized in his own home.

He took a left at the top of the stairs, Kesa trailing behind him diligently. He stopped in front of the second door on the right and looked inside to find a little boy who looked no older than ten sitting on his bed staring at a picture. As soon as the boy heard Sesshoumaru he looked up and gasped in fear, scurrying off his bed and against the far wall, his breathing panicked, the picture clasped tightly in his fist.

"Do not fear. I will not harm you."

"W-who are y-you?" the kitsune cub asked, his whole body shaking in fear.

"I am a doctor. I tried to save your mother and brother but I couldn't"

Tears started rolling down the boys face as Kesa walked in, sensing that it was safe. The kid swung his gaze towards her and froze when he saw her face.

Kesa walked toward him slowly, complete disbelief on her face.

"Oh my god...Shippou?"

* * *

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed as he narrowly avoided crashing into a maid. He continued running from room to room checking progress. "Where the hell is Sesshoumaru? He should have been back by now!"

There was still a lot that needed to be done. Nobody seemed to be moving fast enough. Then again, they normally didn't have less than 24 hours to prepare either. They usually started at least a month in advance to make sure everything was 100 believable. _'Who the hell could have tipped them off? Was it because of Kesa at the hospital today? Or is Naraku behind this?'_

Finally he came to the slave quarters they had built in to the basement. All the sheets from the upstairs beds had been shredded and placed on these beds so that the scent of each slave was strong down here. All the upstairs beds used by the slaves would be completely disinfected and scraped of any scents. Personal items would be boxed and stored in the attic or placed around the house as ornamentations if they were nice enough. All the rooms would be turned into 'guest sweets' except for the rooms belonging to the two demons of the house. Some of the slaves would have to be hit or have bones broken so that they didn't look too healthy. That job was always left to Sesshoumaru because he knew how to make minor injuries look bad, and even knew a few tricks to age bruises so that not all of them looked fresh, and therefore suspicious. The sooner he got here the better. Everyone was working hard, but Sesshoumaru with his speed and calm head could have everything done with time to spare. And having Kesa wouldn't hurt either. She was quick, efficient, and knew just what to do.

"Where the fuck are you guys?"

* * *

Shippou slowly walked toward Kesa, tears still streaming down his small face. "Is it really you?" she asked him.

Sesshoumaru looked between the two of them, quite confused. "Do you know this boy"

Kesa nodded her head, her own eyes tearing up. "Yes. He was a playmate of Naomi's son, back in Hokkaidō. I used to take care of the two of them, reading them bedtime stories and such. Gods...I haven't seen you in years. Not since you moved when I was 11. I never knew your last name or met your parents. What are the odds..."

Shippou suddenly ran to her and wrapped his arms around her legs and cried. She quickly bent down and enfolded him in her own arms, cradling his head to her shoulder. "Please don't leave me Kesa! I saw my mom and brother get hit, and she told me to run home, otherwise I'd be taken to an orphanage. Please don't leave me here!"

"Shh baby, it's ok. I won't leave you I promise. Just calm down honey, everything will be ok..."

Sesshoumaru looked down at the two and felt his cold heart thaw. She was so good with kids. She would make an excellent mother. A perfect mate...

But not for him. He could never take a human mate. He was a well respected demon, and he intended to keep it that way.

But still the thoughts persisted.

She looked up at him, tears streaming down her own face for this little boys' pain and he knew his battle was lost. All his rational thinking went down the drain when he looked at her, realizing he wanted her to be his. Ironic that he'd hated her for so long and now he was envisioning taking her for himself. Fate was funny that way.

He knew what she was silently asking him as her eyes bored into his and he nodded his approval. She smiled and mouthed 'thank you.'

Shippou had calmed down during the exchange and Kesa broke the demons' gaze to pull away from the fox demon and look him in the eye. "Shippou, would you like to come live with us?"

The boy smiled the first smile seen yet. "I'd really like that."

"Then it's done. Let's pack some of your stuff. I'll help you. But we have to hurry, we don't have much time; there's an emergency at our house and we have to get there as soon as possible. I'll explain while we're packing and on the way home."

Shippou nodded, "Ok Kesa. I trust you."

Kesa smiled and bit her lip. "I'm glad you do baby. Now let's get moving. Sesshou-chan, care to help any?" she added, looking at Sesshoumaru with happiness radiating from her.

He would have moved mountains for her as long as she never stopped smiling at him like that.

* * *

Inuyasha sighed in relief when he heard Sesshoumaru's Porsche coming up the driveway. He had just had to help Kagome get settled in her new bed since she was feeling a little anemic and faint today, which was actually quite odd considering she was regaining her strength in leaps and bounds. But he figured everyone has bad days and set Sango and Miroku to work setting up Sango's room. Luckily they had gotten rid of the original mattress Kagome had used because Sesshoumaru had bitched so badly to him about the stench of blood permanently imbedded in it. Sometimes him being an annoying pain in the ass really turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Running this whole operation by himself was tough though, especially since he was only a half-demon. Things he may not be able to smell would be clear as day to a full-blooded demon. He had to have Sesshoumaru to double check everything. His senses were far beyond most other demons so he was a valuable asset to have.

When he started running to the garage to greet his brother and Kesa, he stopped, baffled. _'Why the hell do I smell a fox demon?'_

He decided the only way to get answers would be to face his brother head-on, so he took off at top speed, making it to the garage just in time to see the door rising, the engine of the luxury car purring just outside. He could only stare transfixed as he pulled in and a kid jumped out off of Kesa's lap, followed by the girl herself. His brother killed the engine and pulled his seat forward to get a few bags out from the tiny backseat.

"What the fuck is this? We have an Inspector coming in the morning and you pick up some snot-nosed brat?"

"Inuyasha, watch your mouth! Really, you're a terrible influence on kids," Kesa chided and Shippou stuck his tongue out.

Inuyasha made a step toward the kit to strangle him when Sesshoumaru blocked his path. "The boy has been briefed on everything going on and will not be problem. He will be living with us from now on and you will not harm him. Now let's go, there is still much work to be done before the morning. Brief me on progress."

"No shit there's work to be done! 'Progress' isn't doing as well as it could without you being here! Why do you think I called..." Inuyasha trailed off at the venomous look his brother gave him and followed in silence.

After the two had left the garage, Shippou looked up at Kesa and asked, "Is he always such a jerk?"

Kesa chuckled. "Worse, usually, unless your name is 'Kagome.' But he does tend to grow on ya I must admit. Now let's go set you up in a room so I can get to work helping out."

* * *

"The most important thing you must remember is that you are _slaves_ and are treated as thus. You receive no special treatment, you are beat when disobedient, and live in rags and squalor in the basement. I am your true master and owner, and _no matter what _Inuyasha commands his orders will _always_ come second to mine because he is only half-demon. I have already injured some of you, as minimally as possibly, to make this story plausible, and gone over the entire checklist twice. We will not fail because of a mistake made there," Sesshoumaru took a breath and swept his intense gaze across the 10 or so humans standing in front of him. "Know that, should you make us fail this inspection, you will pay with your life, as will every other person in this house, including myself and Inuyasha."

"Thanks. Way to calm everyone's nerves, _my lord. _Next time how about you just give us a guillotine demonstrationinstead? Yanno, to take the edge off._"_

A few people smirked, a few others chuckled, and tension building among the humans was broken. Sesshoumaru looked at the girl who made the comment, openly showing anger.

"Well Kesa, I'm glad this is a joke to you. Then again after last nights' performance I'm _sure_ you wouldn't mind being the volunteer for the next 'guillotine demonstration' I hold."

Kesa stuck her tongue out childishly. "Lighten up. We all know the drill. Why would we want to willingly give up this life?"

The demon shot her a mocking look and said coldly, "I'm not sure, why don't _you_ tell me?"

Kesa's eyebrows crinkled in confusion. He was being purposely spiteful and trying to hurt her, whereas mere hours ago she had been actually able to make him laugh and smile while they were helping Shippou pack. Sesshoumaru, the heartless bastard who never showed joy or happiness was _laughing_ and _smiling_ because of a human girl. She'd never seen him look like that. Granted, he was gorgeous normally, but when he smiled, his whole face lit up and there was no better sight in the world. He'd actually looked happy, and sounded it when he let a deep, rumbling laugh that was so un-Sesshoumaru-like escape him a few times. _'Is he just worried about the inspection, or did I do something?'_

Sesshoumaru turned to his brother, who was sitting behind him, dozing off and on. "Inuyasha, where is your newest pet? I see she is not here."

Inuyasha glared at him, too tired to verbally pick a fight. "She's in the slave quarters sleeping. She feels pretty bad today. She knows how to act though. She lived with Naraku for years so she knows what to do."

Sesshoumaru nodded and turned back towards the humans. "It's roughly 3:30 am. Go to your beds in the slave quarters, and be ready to wake up at 6:45 in case the bastard gets here early tomorrow."

Everybody started heading towards the basement, Sango and Miroku holding hands and smiling at each other sweetly as if nothing bad was happening. Kesa was the only human who had not followed the crowd. She walked over to Sesshoumaru, who merely looked at her, his face unreadable now.

She stared up into his eyes, trying to will him to make a mental connection so she could talk to him without Inuyasha hearing. He refused to make it and instead walked around her towards his room.

After a few paces he stopped. "Kesa?"

She turned around and looked at his back hopefully. "Yeah?"

"Give me the keys to the weapons case in your room. I have all the other copies already."

Kesa couldn't hide the look of disappointment that filled her face and fished the keys out of her pocket and walked in front of Sesshoumaru, placing them in his waiting hand.

"Sess-"

"Go to bed. That is not a request."

She turned and watched his retreating back go up the stairs sadly.

"Sess-chan...what did I do?" she whispered to herself.

Sesshoumaru winced when he heard the pain in her voice, wanting to go down and explain to her. But it was better this way, for both of them. She would understand eventually.

Inuyasha just looked back and forth between the two confused. _'What the hell is up with them?'_

* * *

The normally lively and bustling manor had a strange coldness to it. Nobody put half as much effort into their work as they normally did, and there was a general air of gloom lurking in every corner.

The 'slaves' worked hard through injuries (including Kagome) to make sure everything was pristine; their work schedule would not be interrupted by the arrival of the Inspector. Inspectors liked to see the slaves at work, making sure they did as they were told; the only time they stopped work was if the Inspector had suspicions and interviewed the humans individually.

At 7:56 am a knock sounded at the door; clean, crisp, and quite possibly the sound of death for all.

Ayume answered it without looking into the Inspectors eyes and asked in a voice so flat and lifeless it could scarcely be identified as hers, "Good morning, sir. Who may I tell the Master is calling?"

"You can tell Lord Sesshoumaru that Inspector Kouga is here, and that if I don't like what I see he's in for a heap of trouble."

**Tadaa! You know you love how I worked Shippou and Kouga in there. Admit it! Haha just kidding. Anyway, finally, another chapter! I know this one is short but I thought that this would be a good time for a nice cliff-hanger. I'm so nice, I know D**

**Moving on, as I said in the beginning I'm changing my penname to Cognoscente after this has been posted for a while. Hopefully I'll have another chapter up before the end of the summer because once I start college in the fall there probably won't be another chapter for a **_**very**_** long time (which you should actually be used to by now lol).**

**So, in honor of all my devoted readers who have stuck with me from the beginning and roughed it out, I dedicate this chapter to you. I thank you with all my heart for all the wonderful reviews. It's from re-reading them I got re-inspired to write again 333**

**Always-  
****Kagura-hime**

**Questions on Japanese? Ask in a review. Actually, you should review anyway and let me know I'm not wasting my time keeping this story up. Love ya lots!! D**


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